Amazing
by willynilly23
Summary: Annie and Auggie on an adventure, post Season 3.
1. Chapter 1

Amazing Part 1

Author's Note: So this is a little nuts….I wanted to send Annie and Auggie on the Amazing Race, but as I discussed it with Epona3 we both realized Annie cannot be on television, so I dreamt this whole plot up. The company is actually based on a real adventure company I know and the challenges are all from Season 9 of the Amazing Race which I recently watched. I hope you like it!

"Annie, Auggie, Barber, conference room please," Joan swept by her arms laden with files.

Annie and Barber looked at each other and shrugged, then turned to Auggie. He could sense the interrogation from both sides and laughed.

"Don't look at me, I have no idea what's up," he stood and fished his laser cane out of the drawer.

"You always know what's up," Annie brushed her arm against his and he took it despite the assistive device in his other hand.

"Not this time," he replied curious himself.

Joan was pulling up something on her laptop and connecting to a projector when they arrived.

"Have a seat," she smiled.

There were folders at three places, one of them was labeled in Braille so Annie guided Auggie to that seat and she and Barber sat across from each other.

"Annie and Auggie, I have a mission for you, it requires a pair of operatives and I think it is going to be right up your alley. Barber, you will be providing back up, serving as handler if needed, keeping an eye on them. Information is in the folders, but the basic gist is this: the agency sees an opportunity to recruit an asset who works for World Race Enterprises," Joan began.

"I know about World Race, I almost did it when I graduated from college," Annie smiled.

"I know, part of why I picked you for this. I figure your combined language skills, your relationship and the exceptional story of Auggie's time in the war would make you the perfect team for World Race and sure enough it did, you've been accepted," Joan smiled.

"You already registered us?" Auggie asked with a quirked eye brow.

"You do have to complete an interview together and pass a physical, but you are pre-approved pending the interview. I didn't think either of you would object. It is a long-term assignment, the Race is 28 days, lots of logistics on your end Barber although I imagine you can hack the itinerary and get ahead of them," Joan nodded at the agent and he nodded back.

"When do we leave?" Annie grinned.

"If all goes well, 2 weeks. The mark is Gwen Masterson, she is the Operations Manager for World Race, she is 28 Yale educated and she travels around the world for 50 of the 52 weeks of the year. She is smart, physically fit and has access to parts of the world and people we would like access to on a regular basis," Joan brought up a photo on the screen behind her.

Gwen was tall, red hair, nice smile Annie got a good vibe from the photo, but obviously would need more to go on.

"What's our play?"

"You have 28 days to assess Gwen, make an impression on her and decide if you want to approach. Her vetting is complete, but it will ultimately be your call. During that time, enjoy the race," Joan grinned.

"Why me?" Auggie asked.

"You two are a team, you are both more than capable of completing the race and I think it will be an interesting bonding experience, welcome to dating at the agency," Joan grinned and stood and left the room.

"So I understand the objective here, but I don't know anything about the company or the trip we are embarking on," Auggie mentioned as he ran his fingers over the documents in his folder.

"Ever hear of the Amazing Race?"

"Sure."

"It's that without the eliminations or the million dollars, although it is a race and there is a prize at the end. I should have asked Joan if we can keep the prize when we win," Annie chewed a nail as she pondered.

"When we win, Walker?" Auggie smirked and Eric looked up from the files.

"Oh we're going to win, with our combined language skills and our ability to communicate, plus they always make people do these 'terrifying' things like bungee jumping and sky diving, child's play to us," she scoffed.

"Who were you going to do the race with before, when you were thinking about it after college?"

"Danielle, we would not have won, she would have needed to get her nails done in India and missed the plane, but it would have been fun, in a very different kind of way."

"Why didn't you do it?"

"Danielle got pregnant halfway through my senior year, instead of a race around the world we got Chloe," Annie laughed.

"Well she's her own kind of amazing," Auggie smiled.

***555***

"Well I'm not pregnant," Annie announced as she entered tech ops.

Auggie had, unfortunately, just taken a swig of coffee and nearly choked.

"Good to know," Barber looked up confused.

"Went for my physical for the mission, they took one look at me and decided I looked healthy enough. They checked my blood pressure and gave me a pregnancy test and I am good to go," Annie patted Auggie on the back as he continued to cough on the coffee.

"You're kidding, they gave me a whole stress test," Auggie frowned.

"Well you are older and male, they don't want you keeling over hiking through Nepal," she kissed his temple, "or possibly the nurse just wanted you to take your shirt off."

"We have the interview at 4:00 don't forget," she reminded him and then took her leave.

***555***

Annie and Auggie were seated in a comfortable office waiting for their interviewer to arrive. Auggie was tapping some unknown beat against his knee and Annie was instant messaging with Danielle via Skype. Finally a young man strolled in.

"Ms. Walker, Mr. Anderson so sorry for the wait. My name is Kevin Joyce and I will be conducting your interview," he extended his hand which Annie took and he responded quickly to Auggie placing his own hand in Auggie's with ease.

"Please call us Annie and Auggie," Annie smiled and put her phone away.

"Great, it is very nice to meet you both, I have read through all of your application materials and am excited to get to know you a little bit today. The first question is simple, why?"

"That is simple Kevin, Auggie and I have had the great privilege to travel a lot for work, but very rarely together, we have experienced so much on our own, we thought this would be a great way to do that together," Annie answered honestly.

They had decided going in that aside from their covers at the Smithsonian and omitting the whole CIA thing they would just be themselves.

"Auggie, you have any hesitations about the unknown in your situation?" Kevin asked with no hesitancy in his voice and Auggie appreciated that.

"When your blind, everyday has an element of unknown to it, Annie and I work very well together, I trust her with my life, I have very few concerns," he shrugged.

"What is your greatest strength as a team?"

"Communication," they said simultaneously and laughed.

"We really didn't rehearse that," Auggie clarified.

"We have worked together for over 3 years, been dating for 6 months, we are very much in tune with one another. In some ways we are more in tune because Auggie is blind, we can't rely on visual cues, we have to make the effort to literally reach out to one another," she made her point by patting his knee.

"Weaknesses?"

"We have half the eyes of other teams, some of the challenges might be too challenging, but I have come to terms with a lot of my limitations and I have no qualms about allowing Annie to do something if I can't, there is no gender hierarchy here, I know how tough she is and am proud of what she is able to do," he turned towards her and touched her cheek knowing it would be warm with blush.

"I also don't really like spiders," Annie added and Kevin laughed.

"That might be a problem," he winked.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

Amazing Part 2

"Packing for 2 hemispheres is tough," Auggie announced as he sat amongst various garments on the bed.

"I know, at least we know we can sleep together so we don't need any serious sleepwear, even if it's cold. You can keep me warm," she leaned over and gave him a kiss.

"Annie, you have to keep your competitive nature in check, we can't allow your desire to win this thing to blow our covers too early on, we can't spook Gwen," Auggie voiced the only true concern he had about the entire mission.

"I know, but we can easily explain our language skills and I will down play it in public, but when no one is looking I am asking the locals for tips," she clarified.

"It isn't just the language skills, people will notice I can't read a map. Now I know you can handle logistics and directions on your own and you can look at a map once and keep it in your head, but that is not a skill most 'normal' people have."

"OK, OK, I'll drive us around in circles a few times," she agreed.

"This is really going to be something," he shook his head and went back to packing.

She reached for the long-sleeved tee he had in his hand and tossed it on her pile.

"I like that one," she smiled as she slid herself onto his lap.

"We should just pack all of my clothes and then you can pick and choose from my wardrobe, just don't leave the blind guy in a mismatched outfit, too predictable," he grinned.

"Right now I want to get you out of this outfit," she worked the knot on his tie which was already pretty loose.

"We have to leave here in approximately 10 hours," he warned but did not actually interfere with her efforts.

"OK, then this needs to be workday efficient and not weekend leisurely," she instructed as she pushed him back on the mattress.

***555***

"Go time you two," Barber relayed, "be safe and have fun and bring us back an asset."

"Thanks Eric!" Annie hung up and stowed the phone in the glove box of the company car they were leaving in Denver.

A van picked them up from long term parking at the Denver airport and brought them to the starting point at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Annie and Auggie knew nothing about the other teams, but Annie did a quick assessment, there were 7 other teams present, all ages and races and gender combinations. Looked like it might make for some interesting conversation.

Annie and Auggie caused a little bit of a stir upon arrival, a blind racer was not expected by the other teams. Gwen and her staff knew about Auggie of course, but the other teams were abuzz.

"I think you are going to be a celebrity," she whispered in his ear.

"You know how I love attention," he grimaced.

"You must be Annie and Auggie, Gwen Masterson, welcome," the woman's smile was even more genuine in person and her handshake firm and she made eye contact with both Annie and Auggie.

"We are, nice to meet you Gwen, we are so excited," Annie replied honestly.

"We're waiting on one more team and we will get the introductions over with, feel free to grab a seat and hang out."

Annie led Auggie to a large flat rock where they sat and Annie gave him a sit rep.

"One team of two young guys, one of two older women, 3 other couples that look like couples and one couple I hope are father/daughter and not romantically involved and two older men with serious nautical tattoos, possibly Navy," Annie reported and munched on almonds from her pack.

"Any look like counter-intelligence?" he whispered in her ear and covered it by kissing her.

"No," she laughed and kissed him back.

The final pair, two young women in full make-up arrived and Gwen hollered for everyone to come closer and leave their packs behind. A team of guys started organizing the bags and depositing bright green envelopes on the top.

"Hello everyone and welcome to World Race, I am Gwen and I will be with you for the next 28 days along with a team of associates who you hopefully will never have to see," she went on about emergency numbers, airline ticket procedures , contact info and what not as Annie continued to look around, she and Auggie were the third team from Gwen's left.

"I am going to ask you all to introduce yourselves, where you're from, anything interesting or unique about you and why you are here today," she pointed to the first team, the younger men.

"I am Brian and this is Gary, we're from Boston. I'm a lawyer (I'm a dentist Gary added) and neither of us have ever been outside of the United States," Brian explained.

"While this is going to be a challenge for us from a Race perspective we are both so excited to see the World this way," Gary smiled.

"Excellent, next," Gwen smiled and indicated a man and woman.

"I am Brett and this is Cathy, we're from Mississippi. I am also a dentist, so Gary and I will have something in common. Cathy raised our 4 kids, the youngest is in high school now. We spend a lot of time hiking and fishing, we are good outdoors and we saw the Race as a chance to grow closer now that the kids are almost gone," Brett answered and Cathy smiled dutifully at his side.

Annie and Auggie were next.

"I'm Annie and this is Auggie," Annie began and Auggie waved. "We are from Washington DC, we both work for the Smithsonian, I get to travel a lot for work, but wanted to do some exploring with Auggie here," she squeezed his arm and smiled.

"I…am blind," Auggie smiled. "I lost my sight while serving in Iraq. Annie and I have worked together for over 3 years now and have been dating a little over 6 months, we know each other very well, but this is going to be a real interesting 28 days."

"Awesome, next," Gwen moved along to another couple.

"I am Ed and this is Molly, we are from Texas and we are divorced. We decided to take this trip to see if maybe we should not be divorced anymore," Ed smiled.

"I speak four languages," Molly smiled, "I really hope we go to a few of the places where I can try out my language skills."

Auggie squeezed Annie's hand at that, Molly's four languages were certainly impressive, but Annie could converse in 12 and Auggie 6, and they could both understand numerous others.

Next was Gloria and Marion, retired sisters from Ohio looking for adventure after Gloria's husband died.

Also, Rick and Emily the questionably aged couple who did turn out to be father and daughter from Idaho bonding before Emily gets married.

Rhonda and Mike from New York were both in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and survived and have taken an epic vacation every year since.

Tom and Warren were in fact retired Navy, reuniting after having not seen each other for over 10 years.

And finally, Danielle and Kendall from Miami just thought this sounded like a blast so they asked for it as a college graduation gift.

"Well it seems we have quite a group for this Race, we hope you will all make it to the end and learn a lot about the world and each other along the way. When I say go your first clue is sitting on top of your packs, there are marked cars in the parking lot, you will get in your cars and head to the airport for your first destination. Good luck, be safe, go!"

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Amazing Part 3

Annie ripped open the first envelope her blood pumping in her ears.

"First stop, Sao Paolo," she reported.

"Seriously?" Auggie grinned knowing Annie's Portuguese was world class.

"Yep," she smiled as they shouldered their packs and listened to the excited jabbering of the other racers.

Annie directed Auggie to the passenger side as she stowed their gear and climbed behind the wheel. Annie had noted the route from the airport to the amphitheatre figuring they would fly out from the same origin city, so she was good for directions. She fired up the little Prius and they were off.

"The clue listed three flights, United 456, 324 and American 28. I'll leave you at American to get the details and I'll run to United," Annie laid out their first game plan.

"Sounds good. What do you make of our fellow racers?" Auggie asked as Annie passed another team.

"Most of them seem nice, the girls are concerning, not sure they will make it through, but maybe they are tougher than they look, they have manicures," she sighed.

"What about Brett and Cathy?"

"He's pretty domineering and she looks like a stepford wife, we won't have too much in common with them. You looking for allies?" she grinned.

"Maybe," he shrugged working his own strategy, "we could exchange language skills for an extra set of eyes."

"You are going to rock this Auggie, you are going to blow Gwen's socks off, she will be dying to work for us when she sees how amazing you are," she took one hand off the wheel and laid it against his cheek and felt the resulting smile there.

***555***

Divide and conquer worked and Annie figured the United flights were longer, even though one of them left earlier, so she and Auggie got tickets on the American flight which got them in 25 minutes before the flight that took off first.

Brett and Cathy, Brian and Gary and Ed and Molly were also on their flight.

Annie and Auggie were seated with Brian and Gary in a 4-wide middle section of the giant airplane. Auggie and Gary had the aisles and Annie and Brian were in the middle.

Ed and Molly and Cathy and Brett had the same set up 3 rows back. Annie could hear Brett complaining about how Cathy should have gotten them a better row.

"He's a little much," Brian raised his eyebrows and looked at Annie.

"Maybe he's just nervous," Annie gave Brett the benefit of the doubt.

"Or he's more competitive then you are," Auggie stage-whispered.

"That's not possible," Annie grinned and kissed him softly.

"You guys must be excited for your first international trip," Auggie mentioned as the flight attendants prepared the cabin for take-off.

"That is one word for it," Gary smiled nervously.

"Terrified might be the other," Brian chimed in.

"You'll be fine, you have each other, you're both well-educated and if you need a little help, I speak Portuguese," Annie offered.

"Smart and pretty," Brain offered his thanks.

"Best advice I can give you guys, is try to sleep whenever you can," Auggie suggested as he raised the arm rest between him and Annie and slipped an arm around her.

Annie made herself as comfortable as possible and sighed contentedly.

"See you in Brazil, Guys!"

***555***

The clue Annie opened in Denver instructed them to go directly to the rooftop terrace at the Hotel Unique in Sao Paolo. Good to her word, she gave Brian and Gary's cab driver the instructions in Portuguese and he understood fine, she caught the sound of Molly trying to speak Spanish to her cab driver and having some trouble.

One skill both Annie and Auggie possessed that they hadn't mentioned in any of the interviews is the ability to wake up quickly and be alert with little adjustment time. Annie was already running through her knowledge of Sao Paolo, she had spent some time in Rio, but only a few days here or there in Sao Paolo.

She asked the cab driver if there were any parts of town to avoid for construction or traffic and he warned her of a main road being repaved that just started earlier in the week, not everyone was aware of the detour.

Once at the hotel they took the elevator to the roof.

"Wow, it is gorgeous," Annie mentioned as she took in the panoramic view on her way to the clue box.

The clue directed them to Viaduto Santa Ifigênia a bridge in Sao Paolo. Their cab driver had waited and he brought them quickly to the site, the other teams close behind.

It was time for the first challenge, this one was a choice: Motorhead or Rotorhead. Motorhead required assembling a motrcycle from parts and getting it running and Rotorhead was a helicopter ride which sounded easy until you realised you had to read an aeronautical map in Portuguese.

"I can put a bike together, even blind, but it will still take longer than you reading that map," Auggie said quietly as other teams read the clue.

"Let's find ourselves a helo," Annie grinned and took his arm.

The aeronautical maps were trickier than Annie had figured and the challenge was set so that you had to find one of 3 buildings at different distances, so you had to cross-reference. She got the hang of it and got one of the slots for the closest building. A good looking Brazilian man approached them.

"You two ready for a ride?" he smiled and spoke beautiful English.

"We are," Annie returned the smile and handed over the ticket.

"I'm Victor," he introduced.

"Annie and Auggie," Auggie returned.

"You two ever been in helicopter?" he asked as he led them to the bird and handed them some headsets.

"Once or twice," Annie shrugged and Auggie squeezed her elbow.

***555***

Once the chopper landed on the building Annie and Auggie were out and down the stairs to a hotel suite where they had to search for a clue, which meant Annie searched for a clue and Auggie leaned against a wall looking incredibly fresh for someone who was wearing the same clothes for going on 30 hours.

Annie found the envelope which sent them to a warehouse district. They hopped back in the copter and returned to the airport.

As they bid farewell to Victor they heard Brett yelling at Cathy again and Rick and Emily debating which of the buildings were closer. Annie could sympaqthize with Emily, there was no way she could do this kind of trip with her own dad. Annie smiled and waved, told them the ride was awesome and they were out and in a cab.

"What are we walking in to?" Auggie asked after Annie discussed the address with the driver.

"A Candomble service, ever been to one?" Annie asked.

"No."

"They can be quite something, usually great music and dancing, a snake or two. We have to light a candle," Annie explained as the cab wove its way through the narrow streets of Sao Paolo.

Annie was spot on as the pair was greeted by a man with a huge snake draped around his shoulders and the music was poundingly-loud making Auggie a little hesitant as another of his senses left him.

Annie spoke reverently to the leader who was thrilled she was familiar with the ceremony. She handed Annie a candle and Annie led Auggie to the main candle where together they lit their candle and placed it in the circular holder on the table.

They were given their clue and slipped out. They were done for the day, they only had to make it to the Pit Stop for that night and Annie was fairly certain they were in first place, certain no one else had slipped by her.

"Estádio do Pacaembu,por favor" Annie instructed the driver.

"The soccer stadium?" Auggie asked.

"Yep, guess we will be hanging out on the field. Hope we have locker room privileges, I could use a shower.

The driver left them at the gate indicated on the clue and Annie and Auggie strode into the stadium to find Gwen and a local soccer player kicking a ball around.

"Well hello there," Gwen waved.

"Hey," Annie smiled.

"You guys are the first to arrive," Gwen crossed her arms and looked impressed.

"Awesome," Annie said and Auggie could feel her vibrate a little.

"In fact, my team says the next team is at least 20 minutes behind you, so you have your run of the place, feel free to use the locker rooms and pick your own spot on the field. We can't stake the tents of course, so be sure to put your packs in there to weigh them down," Gwen instructed.

"A shower sounds great," Annie nodded.

"Want to set up the tent first, then we can crawl in it post-shower," Auggie suggested.

"Good plan," Gwen agreed.

"He's logistics," Annie laughed, "come on Eagle Scout show me what you got," Annie grabbed a tent from the pile and pushed it into Auggie's hands.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

Amazing part 4

Author's Note: Thanks for the lovely reviews, glad you guys liked the concept!

Annie and Auggie got the tent set up easily and stowed their packs, grabbing some clean clothes and the basics. Annie led Auggie to the visiting locker room set up for the women and stripped his tee shirt from his sweaty body.

"What are you doing?" he asked unnecessarily as she started to work on his pants.

"Get in the shower and I will elucidate," she giggled.

"Winning turns you on doesn't it?" he laughed but complied, feeling his way into the shower and turning on the water.

"A little," she admitted grudgingly as she joined him.

"Oh god Annie," Auggie's head tipped back against the cement wall as she finished displaying what winning does to her.

"Shhhh, we could have company at any time," Annie chided as she kissed her way up his body .

Just as she said it Annie heard the clank of a metal locker and froze, she put a finger to Auggie's lips which he began nibbling on. Annie peeked out and saw Molly slip into another stall.

"We gotta go," she whispered and kissed him soundly.

***555***

"Brian, Gary, you made it," Annie called as she led Auggie over to the dinner that Gwen's team had set out.

"We did, the helicopter ride was _awesome_," Gary sang the last word.

"I'm glad you're…" Annie was interrupted by a barrage of profanity from Brett as he and Cathy checked in as the 6th team of the day.

"Yikes," Auggie grimaced.

"Seriously, gay couples can't get married in most of the country, but he can treat her like crap and that's OK," Annie blew her damp hair off her forehead in frustration.

Annie noticed the change in Brian and Gary, she had revealed herself as open-minded and suddenly Gary's hand was on Brian's back and they dropped the façade that they were not together, at least with Annie and Auggie.

Annie thought how hard it must be to constantly be unable to express your affection for your partner. In some ways she understood as she and Auggie have to be guarded with who they let in to their relationship, but it is different since she and Auggie chose a life of secrecy, Brian and Gary just fell in love.

"I built a motorcycle today," Gloria announced as she helped herself to a bottle of water.

"How was that challenge?" Auggie asked curious.

"Hard," they replied in unison.

"But you did it," Annie cheered.

"We did," they agreed.

Once all the teams arrived Gwen joined them and made her way from team to team checking in. She made sure everyone ate a good meal and settled in for some sleep.

"You two need anything?" she asked trying not to intrude as Annie and Auggie talked quietly.

"No, we're fine," Auggie smiled and indicated she should sit, hoping there was a seat there.

"Thanks," Gwen smiled and joined them at the picnic table.

"Everything is so well-organized Gwen, you guys do a great job," Annie mentioned casually as she shared her spoon with Auggie so he could enjoy some of the ice cream she was hoarding for herself.

"Thanks, we've been doing this for a while, but there are always unknowns," Gwen shrugged.

"Sounds like the military," Auggie smiled around a mouthful of ice cream.

***555***

The next morning Annie and Auggie had a head start on the other teams, but everyone caught up when the museum where they were collecting their next clue didn't open until 9:00 am. Annie set out in search of coffee leaving Auggie at the museum entrance.

"The lady abandon you," a man asked.

"Coffee, she will always choose coffee over me," Auggie smiled.

"It's Warren by the way," Warren identified himself and sat down, his voice registering lower to Auggie than before.

"Thanks, haven't gotten everyone's voices down yet. Nice to meet you," Auggie held out his hand and Warren shook it.

"My son is in Afghanistan," he said out of the blue.

"I hope he's safe," Auggie nodded solemnly and the two men sat quietly.

***555***

The museum opened and the teams found the clue, it sent them to a hotel and there they were presented with an Individual Challenge. In this case only one member of the team can complete the challenge.

Annie and Auggie had thought about this before the race, there would always be some of these that Auggie simply could not do, but he wanted to do any that he could. This one, he could.

"OK, so your selected team member is going to run up one of these 3 spiral fire escapes, 25 stories and then don the harness and rappel down the side of the hotel. Any questions?" Gwen asked.

"What kind of stairs am I looking at?" Auggie asked Annie.

"Metal, they look to be average height and the spiral is not too tight, hold the railing get your rhythm and you will be fine, there are 16 stairs to each landing," she reported.

"Got it, let's do this," he squeezed her arm and Annie smiled at how excited he seemed, perhaps her competitive nature was rubbing off.

The men dominated the pack: Brett, Ed, Auggie, Gary, Warren, Rick and Mike all represented for their teams and Gloria and Kendall for the all girl teams. Gwen gave them the green light and they headed off to divide up among the three fire escapes. Auggie wound up with Rick and Ed who were both pretty fit guys, but not Auggie-fit.

Annie watched with a knowing grin as Auggie jogged up the stairs cautious but consistent. Even at a guarded speed he left the other 2 men in his wake after the 5th floor. She tried not to reflect on a different fire escape in a different city last year, certain there were no bad guys waiting to surprise him mid stride.

"He's doing great," Marion mentioned.

"He's pretty fit," Annie nodded.

"I'd say so," the other woman laughed.

Auggie made it to the top, winded but well ahead of the others. The assistants got him in his harness easily and tightened all the fastenings.

"You good with this?" one of them asked.

"Just get me to the mark, I can make my way down," Auggie assured him.

Meanwhile Brett had made it to the top of his escape and Kendall was doing a surprisingly good job on hers as well.

"He's got this," Annie bounced on her toes.

"You sure he's OK?" Cathy asked with a grimace.

"Oh yeah, most people will close their eyes any way," Annie grinned.

As they chatted Auggie began his descent. His long legs helped him keep contact with the building and gave him ample warning so he wouldn't swing into it too hard. He felt his way down the side with swift efficiency.

Cathy started cheering for Brett who was over the lip of the roof and Danielle was cringing as she watched Kendall begin the rappel.

"Come on Auggie," Annie cheered.

"I'll be right there dear," he replied with a smirk.

Although Brett made a valiant move Auggie sped up at the end and hit the ground first. Annie helped him out of the harness and kissed him forcefully but briefly before taking the clue they were handed and heading away from the crowd,

"That was awesome," Annie and Auggie said simultaneously.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

Amazing part 5

Their next clue was 115 miles away in the town of Brotas and the teams had to travel by bus. Annie and Auggie had to wait an hour for the next bus so Brett & Cathy, Danielle & Kendall and Molly and Ed all caught up after finishing the rappel challenge.

The bus wasn't very crowded and Annie enjoyed the scenery as Auggie chatted with Ed & Molly.

"You guys sleep OK last night?" Ed asked casually.

"We did, you?" Auggie replied genially.

"Not bad for tenting," Molly laughed.

"I had to lay diagonally, but Annie's short so we made it work."

"I am not short," she whacked his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I meant to say you are 'perfectly-tent-sized', better?" he grinned.

"A little," she shrugged and soothingly rubbed the spot where she had whacked him.

Upon arrival in Brotas they found a row of old-school VW Beetles awaiting them with new clues.

"Aaaaahhh, just like my little car," she patted the hood of a red one

The door creaked as Auggie opened it and the old leather seats announced themselves to his nostrils.

"Not really," he grimaced.

"OK, but still good German engineering," she struggled to turn over the engine, but it finally grumbled to life.

Their clue gave them a choice of challenges: one was a glorified science experiment involving pressing sugar cane and make ethanol fuel from it and the other was more physical and required another harness.

"You look good in a harness," Annie encouraged.

"Well I went down in one today, why not use one to get up a waterfall," Auggie agreed.

They made it to the challenge site just ahead of Cathy and Brett who had decided to do the waterfall challenge as well. Each member of the team would use the same ropes so only one of them could go up at a time. Annie decided Auggie should go up first as she could see more from the ground if he needed assistance.

The instructor was going over the pulley system used for the climb, instead of relying on the wet rocks the climbers would have carabineer pulleys to get themselves to the top.

"See you at the top," Auggie smiled and Annie kissed him quickly.

Annie smiled her brightest widest smile as she thought of Joan's comment about this being a bonding experience. This is the most time she and Auggie had spent by themselves since they started dating.

Cathy decided to go first for their team so Cathy and Auggie started up the 80 foot waterfall, the water colder than Auggie anticipated, but not bad.

"You need to lock one before the other one will work!" Brett yelled to Cathy as she struggled to work the pulleys.

"I'm timing you Anderson, if I beat you I get your ice cream tonight," Annie teased.

"How would that be different than any other time we have ice cream," he replied but increased his speed at her challenge.

Cathy began to get the hang of it and started making slow progress.

"It's about time," Brett muttered and kicked at a loose rock.

"She's doing great," Annie tried to be encouraging.

"Well the blind guy is beating her," Brett snarled.

Annie was shocked, if Brett had slapped her she would have been less shocked.

"Um, this challenge is more about upper body strength and Auggie is a man. You cannot compare Cathy to Auggie, Auggie can bench press more than 2 of me," Annie laughed.

"Hey Walker, you coming?" Auggie called from the top of the waterfall, the ropes coming down for her.

Annie got the harness on as Cathy was about halfway up the falls.

"You ready?" the instructor asked.

"Yep," she nodded and stepped out on the wet rocks.

Annie had watched Auggie sort out the process for the pulleys so she was good to go and while not as strong as Auggie she was pretty strong herself. She didn't want to show up Cathy too much though so she proceeded at a moderate pace for the first half of the climb.

"Hey Annie," Cathy smiled, her wet hair plastered to her head under her helmet.

"Hey there, how you doing?" Annie used the break to wipe the water from her eyes.

"A little tired, but OK," she kept moving the whole time.

Annie let her get far enough ahead that she made it to the platform before Annie, but before the ropes could be sent back down for Brett Annie reached the top and the instructor pulled her on to the edge.

"Looks like I get to keep my ice cream tonight," Auggie teased.

"You are the king of the ropes today, that's for sure," Annie giggled as she got out of the harness and got the next clue, before she opened the envelope though she took a second to look out at the waterfall.

"It is gorgeous Auggie," she reached back and found his hand pulling him close.

He didn't hesitate to step forward, close as they were to an 80 foot drop, he really did trust her with his life and that trust and the view in front of her actually brought tears to her eyes.

"I'm so glad we're here," she turned and wrapped her arms around him, wet body to wet body she clung to him as she gave and received warmth from him.

Auggie just squeezed her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

"OK, let's go," she composed herself and read the directions as they headed back to the VW.

"Anything else for me to scale today?" Auggie asked.

"Ha, no we are done and our Pit Stop tonight is a coffee plantation," she informed.

"Ooooohhhh, coffee," he practically purred.

The break they took to enjoy the waterfall allowed Cathy and Brett to catch up so Annie threw the VW in reverse and squealed out of the lot.

"We don't have to win every leg Walker," Auggie grabbed the ancient dashboard in front of him.

"No, but we do have to beat Brett," she growled.

Annie and Auggie made it to the check in point about 3 minutes ahead of Brett and Cathy, Gwen congratulated them, offered them some water and indicated they should enjoy the grounds.

"How do you feel about hammocks?" Annie asked with a twinkle in her eye as she looked over the lush plantation.

"I enjoy them very much," Auggie smiled and allowed her to lead him to one.

The day was warm and their wet clothes had dried, but Annie stripped a layer off and joined Auggie in the hammock in only shorts and a tank top.

"Nice," Auggie murmured as his lips found her bare shoulder.

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

Amazing Part 6

Annie was asleep within minutes of joining Auggie in the hammock, his warm hand rubbing gentle circles against the small of her back. Auggie heard someone approach and put a finger to his lips to indicate Annie's slumber.

"Sorry," a young woman whispered.

"Kendall?' he asked quietly.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Heard you kicked ass on the fire escapes today," he smiled.

"Thanks," she said sounding proud and moved on to a hammock of her own.

***555***

Morning dawned bright and warm on the plantation and Annie, Auggie, Brett and Cathy were lined up to zip line down a valley to receive their next clue as the first 2 teams to finish the day before.

"It would suck to be afraid of heights on this Race," Auggie mentioned off-handedly.

"Seriously, I am expecting sky diving soon," Cathy laughed nervously.

The instructors got them in their harnesses and helmets again, Auggie's third harness in 24 hours. Auggie went first and Annie followed, their VW Beetle meeting them at the base with a clue on the windshield.

"Oh my God," Annie gasped as the pair heard Brett hooting and hollering down the zip line.

"What? Where?" Auggie asked intrigued.

"Moscow," she said and he could tell she was biting the cuticle on her thumb.

He furrowed his brow and tried to control the immediate reaction he has every time he thinks about her in Moscow.

"You OK?" he asked quietly, his lips finding her hair.

"Of course, of course I am," she smiled and tried to shake off the dread.

***555***

Luckily Annie and Auggie were nowhere near the 3 other teams on their flights to Moscow. This allowed Auggie to hold Annie close, murmur words of comfort and security to her that might seem odd to the other people on the Race.

"I am with you this time, not at the end of a protocol email chat, with you," he noticed that his shirt was clenched in her fists as she nodded against his chest.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice small.

"For what?" he asked.

"For not coming home when you asked me to Auggie, I think part of me knew why you were asking," she leaned up and kissed him to illustrate what she assumed.

He nodded but didn't break the kiss, her hands left his shirt and found his hair, clutching him to her. She moved towards him until the confines of her airplane seatbelt wouldn't let her get any closer, the man in the aisle seat next to her continued to snore softly.

Auggie finally pulled back gently from the frantic pace she was setting until they were just sitting there with their foreheads and their noses touching, their breath soft on one another's lips.

"Annie, I have felt things for you since the moment I met you, I always buried them though for the job or the timing, but then…." he trailed off.

His index finger found her chin and slowly traced down her throat to the soft sweater he was pretty sure was his. The finger continued down the front of the sweater, between her breasts to the exact spot where her scars lay hidden.

"I almost lost you emotionally a couple times over the past 3 years, but the thought of you not there at all, not able to hear your voice, your body so cold and still and silent," the quiet cool airplane cabin reminded him of those nights by her bedside.

"I'm sorry I didn't come home when you asked. I'm sorry I didn't say anything when you told me you were asking Parker to marry you, I am sorry I didn't kiss you any of the dozens of times I wanted to long before that," she punctuated each apology with a soft kiss.

***555***

Annie knew Moscow better than she knew DC, their clue had them going to a water sports facility, the Chaika Bassein.

"For a landlocked city they sure do like seagulls," Auggie mentioned as he translated the name of the facility.

There they were given an Individual challenge.

"You got to do the last one," Annie argued.

"It's all yours," he smiled as an instructor handed her a swimsuit.

Annie changed quickly and she, Ed, Brett and Mike were scaling a 10 meter diving platform. All she had to do was jump, swim the length of the Olympic-sized pool and dive to the bottom to retrieve another clue. It was nothing compared to Auggie's challenge.

Annie didn't hesitate in her jump, while others were dithering with the thought of it Annie just remembered jumping off a cliff with Reva in Belarus a couple years ago and let herself go.

"She's in the water," Molly told Auggie and led him to the other end of the pool to meet her.

"Thanks Molly," Auggie said sincerely as they awaited Annie and Ed.

"Hey good looking," Annie greeted as she touched at the end of the lane.

"Nice time Walker, I just got here," he grinned.

She dipped under the lane markers to the deep end where the clues were suspended under water.

"Don't get too comfortable, I'll be right back," she grinned and dove as Ed finished his lap.

Annie shimmied her way deep enough to grab a clue and emerged and lifted herself from the pool with ease. Auggie handed her a towel, but instead she shook her cold wet hair all over him like a wet dog.

"Nice," he snarked wiping the droplets of water off his face.

"I like to share," she kissed his cheek as she wrapped the towel around herself and opened the clue.

"Ooooh," Annie cooed as she read the clue.

"Where to?" Auggie liked her tone.

"Novodevichy," her voice was pleased.

"Pretty," Auggie agreed without giving too much away to the other teams around them.

Annie changed quickly and they were out hailing a cab in minutes. Novodevichy was a monastery with several beautiful cathedrals; the one they were looking for was the Virgin of Smolensk and was filled with dozens and dozens of gilded icons, the interior practically glowed from them.

They spoke quietly, reverently inside the small sanctuary.

"Candles?" Auggie asked as he smelled the melting wax.

"Lots of candles, stay close," as she weaved them in and out of huge pillar candles flickering against the gold art work.

Annie stopped for a second and Auggie moved his hand from her elbow to her waist, he knew she wanted to soak this in, to remember all the things about Moscow that are beautiful and special. He could feel the deep breaths she was taking, the emotion she was processing. She leaned back and kissed him softly indicating she was ready, she had said her prayer or made her wish or whatever she needed.

They got the clue which indicated a choice for the next team challenge. Not wanting to have a conversation in this holy spot she led Auggie out a side door to the fresh air of a beautiful Moscow day.

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

Amazing part 7

"Did you ever have to wash your parents' car?" Annie asked randomly.

"Um, I'm the youngest so, yeah…" Auggie answered his face an adorable mask of confusion.

"Our choice is to search through 15,000 matrioshki for 1 of 10 slips of paper or to wash a trolleybus. Even if you could see, the matrioshki challenge could take forever," Annie reasoned.

"Let's get dirty, babe," he grinned and she led him to a taxi.

The trolleybus yard was in a very remote part of town, but Annie's language skills and knowledge of the city got them there in short time. The trolleybus wound up being quite dirty and the water source very far away, but Annie ran a bucket of water to Auggie and got him working on a specific area while she fetched more water.

Other teams were scurrying around the city, opting to do the nesting doll challenge or lost looking for the trolley bus yard all while Annie and Auggie flung soapy sponges at one another and giggled.

Annie began singing Russian folk songs and the stoic work crew at the yard were soon singing along.

"I have never had so much fun working my ass off," Annie declared as she polished the headlights of the trolley.

***555***

Annie and Auggie were an hour ahead of the next team in completing the challenge, their clue led them to Red Square to meet Gwen behind St. Basil's.

"There aren't many things that I remember visually," Auggie mentioned, "but St. Basil's is pretty clear in my mind."

"I'll never forget the first time I saw Red Square," Annie began as she led him through the throngs of people coming out of the Park Culturi metro station.

"I was 19, the host family I was living with brought me and they led me this way, up the back side of the Square by the history museum, there is a slight hill, you can't see St. Basil's right away at the far end. The Kremlin and GUM, St. Sophia's they catch your eye and you almost forget and then you crest the hill and there it is," she stopped and Auggie caught himself before he walked into her.

"It's so beautiful," she whispered.

"You're so beautiful," he leaned down to speak in her ear and she smiled.

"Let's go," she picked up the pace and led him unerringly through the crowd.

Annie found Gwen and a Kremlin guard behind St. Basil's as instructed. The guard welcomed them to Moscow in Russian, Annie and Auggie both responding with "Spacibo".

"You two made short work of the challenges today," Gwen commented.

"We had a little advantage this leg, I speak Russian and lived here for a while in college," Annie down played just how well she knew Moscow.

"Ahhh, that explains the reports of Russian folk songs at the trolley yard," Gwen laughed.

"Just trying to make it fun," Annie shrugged.

"Well I wish I could tell you you are done for the day, but this leg is not over, you are still racing, here is your next clue," Gwen turned over an envelope.

"Das Vidanya Russia," Annie smirked.

"Where to, Walker?"

"Plane to Frankfurt, train to Stuttgart," she reported.

"Thanks Gwen," Auggie waved as the pair took off for the airport.

***555***

Annie was surprised to see Danielle and Kendall at the airport in time for the earliest flight to Frankfurt.

"Hey guys," Annie greeted.

"Hey, wow we must be in good shape if we caught up to you guys!" Danielle beamed.

"Which challenge did you pick?" Auggie asked as he sipped on a bottle of water.

"We did the nesting dolls and found the paper on the 2nd one we picked, total luck," Kendall admitted.

"Don't downplay luck," Annie smiled, "it comes in very handy."

***555***

Once in Stuttgart the teams were sent to the Mercedes Benz test facility.

"We get to test drive a Benz on your track?" Annie asked in awe.

"Um, no," the Mercedes rep answered, " you get to ride in a test car, as a passenger."

"Oh," Annie pouted and Auggie pinched her side and chuckled.

Annie and Auggie strapped themselves in and the test track driver gained speed. At the fastest they were going 170 km or just over 105 mph and Auggie knew Annie had topped out faster than this in a chase or 2, but the real fun came on the 'wall of death' as the Benz banked high off a track wall. He heard Annie squeal with a glee she usually reserved for him in private.

"God that was fun," Annie mentioned as they got out of the car.

"I am constantly in awe of your ideas of fun," Auggie smiled.

Sure enough there were Mercedes vehicles waiting for them and a 200 mile drive to Bad Tolz on tap, much of which would take them via the Autobahn.

"We might need to stop for Dramamine," Auggie chuckled.

"You love my driving," Annie scoffed and Auggie rolled his eyes.

***555***

Annie pulled the Benz onto a dirt road and followed the markers to a giant field.

"How far ahead do you think we are?" Auggie asked.

"Danielle and Kendall were a few minutes behind us at the track, but I never saw them tailing us, they either got lost or can't drive as fast as me, why?"

Instead of an answer she got Auggie launching himself across the console of the luxury car.

"I want you so bad," he mumbled against her lips as he tugged her tee shirt out of her jeans.

"You do like my driving," she laughed.

"I like everything about you Walker," he growled and pulled her over to his side of the front seat.

She went willingly into his lap, looking around surreptitiously to make sure there was no staff in sight, but it did appear they were truly alone in the German countryside. She reclined Auggie's seat and stretched along his long lean body.

***555***

"That's it, I'm getting a bigger car," Annie sighed as she leaned back against the dashboard and looked down at Auggie still reclined in the passenger seat.

"Heh, there are not a whole lot of places in DC we can have sex in a car without, you know, being arrested," he ran a hand over his face, the car warm and the windows fogged.

"True and my car is easy to park," Annie shrugged and tried to figure out how to untangle their bodies as she scrambled for her shirt before Danielle and Kendall arrived.

She finally got out of the car without injuring herself or Auggie and looked around. The field was huge and there were dozens of red metal domes spread throughout. She grabbed the clue as Auggie organized himself.

"OK, it is an individual challenge, but I think I am going to have to do it. The field is huge and even if I could yell that loudly it would be tough for you to navigate," Annie explained.

"OK, have at it," he shrugged leisurely, clearly relaxed from their previous activities.

Annie's stomach fluttered at the sight of him, she pushed him up against the car and kissed him again, molding her body to his and allowing him to wrap his arms around her fully. They were roused from the kiss by the sound of tires on gravel as Kendall and Danielle arrived.

"Well we managed to cover your professional grade driving skills by frittering away our lead time," Auggie whispered in her ear.

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

Amazing Part 8

Annie separated herself from Auggie and waved to the girls as she opened the clue. Sure enough those red domes covered holes in the ground, there were 200 of them and only 10 had ceramic gnomes in them, you had to retrieve a gnome and bring him to the check point in Munich.

Annie charted the field in her mind and tried to figure out the most efficient way to tackle the challenge as Danielle headed out randomly. There was a good distance between each dome making the task physical as well as logical.

"You two are cute together," Danielle mentioned as they passed one another.

Annie smiled and went to her next dome where she found the little ceramic gnome. Sure enough Danielle fund one by the time Annie was back to the car. Annie took out the map and made a point to seem like she was unsure where Munich was and Danielle and Kendall left ahead of them.

"You letting them win this leg?" Auggie asked.

"Yeah, you said it yourself, we shouldn't win them all and I like them. Danielle said we were cute together," she kissed his cheek and refolded the map.

"Are we?" Auggie asked genuinely curious.

"What?"

"Cute together? What do we look like together?"

"Like we were made for each other," Annie replied sincerely and started the powerful engine.

***555***

"You two look happy considering you lost your lead today," Gwen grinned at the pair as Annie and Auggie arrived 10 minutes after Danielle and Kendall.

"We had fun today," Annie shrugged one shoulder as if that was a good enough reason for being second.

"Well I have good news, tonight you get to sleep in a real bed. Hotel tonight here in Munich. Here is your packet, dinner will be together at 7:00, relax and enjoy a real shower until then," Gwen handed over a hotel keycard folder with a sheet of paper folded into it.

"Excellent," Annie grinned as she accepted the key packet, "see you for dinner!"

"If I had known we were going to have a real bed tonight I would have waited to jump you?" Auggie mentioned off-handedly.

Annie just glared at him with a quirked eyebrow.

"OK, probably not," he admitted feeling her scrutiny.

***555***

Annie turned their hotel room into a laundry facility, washing their used clothes in the bathtub and hanging them around the room to dry, she then rinsed the bathtub thoroughly and refilled it with warm water and the small bottle of bubble bath from the vanity. That is where Auggie found her when he woke up from a quick nap.

"What time is it?" she asked as her sleepy boyfriend shuffled in to the bathroom.

"5:00, still a couple hours until dinner. I was thinking we should call in to the office," Auggie suggested as he leaned back against the bathroom counter.

"Good idea, we can use the litho toll free line, Barber will know it is us," Annie agreed.

"Yeah, and anyone looking at the phone records will just see a toll free call," Auggie agreed having had the same thought.

Annie slipped below the surface of the water one last time rinsing her hair thoroughly and then stood reaching for a towel.

"Litho, type-setting and proof desk," Barber answered the unsecure line in Tech Ops.

"I'd like to speak with my service rep please," Annie repeated her protocol response.

"One moment," Barber replied and went to work back tracing the security of the hotel line.

"We're good," he said a few seconds later.

"Just checking in," Annie said vaguely.

"Any problems so far?"

"Not a one, we are all good."

"Have they made you eat bugs yet?" Hollman, who must have been listening in, asked.

"No," Annie shuddered at the thought.

"Any movement on the objective?" Barber brought them back to the point.

"Nothing solid, just biding time, making inroads. Wanted to make sure there was nothing new?" Annie replied.

"Nope, everything is static on this end."

"Cool, let Joan know we are fine," Annie finished and hung up.

"We're going to have to eat bugs?" Auggie asked disgusted.

"I sure hope not…."

***555***

Annie was relieved to see dinner did not involve anything with 6 legs. She was starving and was making her way through a huge plate of food when Gloria and Marion sat down across from her.

"How you doing, Hon?" Gloria asked as she broke open a warm pretzel roll.

"Just fine, how are you ladies doing?" Annie took a sip of beer.

"We are having a blast," Gloria beamed.

"Yeah?"

"This is so much more fun than we ever imagined. We aren't breaking any speed records, but we have been able to do everything so far and everyone has been so nice," Gloria smiled and Marion nodded in agreement.

Annie saw Auggie making his way across the room with a beer and his cane, but stood to guide him to his chair.

"Gloria and Marion are telling me how much fun they are having," Annie explained so Auggie was aware who was at the table.

"That's great ladies," he said with his charming grin.

Soon they were joined by Gwen and Ed and Molly.

"So Gwen, how long have you been doing this?" Annie asked as she started in on her schnitzel.

"Five years, I went on the race when I was 22 and pursued a job with them from the day I finished. I started in support services and was promoted to Operations Manager 2 years ago," she explained.

"It must be so fun to travel the world constantly," Molly mentioned.

"It can have its challenges, but mostly it is amazing, I have made friends locally in almost every country we visit," Auggie slipped his hand to Annie's thigh and squeezed at the admission of Joan's suspicions, this woman would be a huge asset for the CIA.

***555***

A wake up call roused Annie and Auggie from their slumber the next day. Annie stretched her body along Auggie's, the clean sheets and soft pillows so tempting. Finally she cracked open her eyes and rolled over to find a clue had been slipped under their door.

"Morning," Auggie mumbled as he tried to keep her from getting out of bed.

"Morning," she returned the greeting, kissed him softly and then extracted herself to retrieve the clue.

"Please tell me it says we have the day off to enjoy our accommodations," Auggie raised his eyebrows hopefully.

"Nice try Cassanova, but we are headed to Palermo, flight is in 3 hours," she calculated as she looked at the clock on the bedside table.

"Three hours is plenty of time, come back to bed," he used the voice that almost never failed to make her melt.

"We lost time yesterday for this," she said vaguely as she straddled his lap to illustrate.

"I'm glad we are doing this together. I'm not losing sight of our goal, but I am glad we get to take this journey together," Auggie spoke as he trailed his fingers down Annie's arms to find her hands.

"Me too, now let's get dressed and get to Sicily," she kissed him soundly to make sure he knew she appreciated his comment and slid from the bed to gather their dried laundry.

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9

Amazing Part 9

On the ferry to Palermo, Annie positioned Auggie at the railing and went in search of coffee. The morning was sunny and warm, the ocean smelled briny and a soft breeze ruffled Auggie's hair. He had seen a lot of the world before he lost his sight, experiencing it again now as a blind man was extraordinary.

"A Lira for your thoughts?" Annie offered as she pressed the warm coffee cup against his hand.

"I wish I could find the words," he shook his head with a soft smile.

Annie tried not to feel left out of Auggie's world, they each had their moments when the other one couldn't possibly understand. She wanted to know every thought he had though, every emotion, she wanted to soak them all in and celebrate the good ones and help heal the bad ones.

"Be careful, that coffee is strong," Brett mentioned as he and Cathy joined Annie and Auggie at the rail and burst the small moment.

"No such thing as too strong when it comes to coffee," Auggie sipped and savored the deep espresso roast.

"Have you been to Italy, for the Smithsonian?" Cathy asked.

"A couple times, mostly Venice and Rome though," Annie answered fairly truthfully.

"I spent some time in Rome before I knew Annie," Auggie also gave away a little bit of truth.

"Brett and I have been together since high school, it must be weird to have such diverse histories before you got together,' Cathy mentioned off-handedly.

"We try not to hold our pasts against one another," Annie shrugged and Auggie found her and wrapped an arm around her.

***555***

Cars awaited them at the Port in Palermo and they drove 42 miles to Castellammare Del Golfo, the Fortress on the gulf where they had a Team Challenge.

Annie explained the 2 challenges, one involved moving a 110 pound bell around town in a truck and then lugging it up a flight of stairs and the other involved sorting laundry to find a clue.

"We did our chores in Moscow, I want to carry the giant bell," Auggie decided.

"Me too," Annie agreed, "I don't even like sorting our own laundry."

They arrived at the foundry and found the bell, it was designed for two people to carry, but at 110 pounds it wasn't too much for Auggie to lift on his own. He got it in the back of the pick-up truck they were to use to deliver it as Annie studied the map.

The map was hand drawn and the roads narrow and poorly marked, she really had to memorize the route, she was confident she had it down as she and Auggie climbed into the vehicle.

"This truck isn't as sexy as the Benz," she teased and released the gear shift long enough to squeeze Auggie's hand.

He smiled but didn't say anything.

"You OK?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Does it bother you that you never knew me when I could see?"

"No," Annie said honestly.

"Huh," Auggie grunted.

"There are so many things about your past I am curious about Auggie, but your sight has never been one of them. "

They made it to the church and Auggie plucked the bell from the truck bed like it was a sack of groceries. Annie served as lead and got him up the stairs easily, they delivered the bell and were handed their clue.

A short drive and a 1 mile hike through some ancient ruins brought them to Teatro de Segesta where they found a bunch of broken down statues.

"This looks like a puzzle," Annie mentioned as she took the clue from the box.

"All yours Sugar Plum," he smiled and leaned back against the rock wall.

Sure enough the challenge involved completing the broken statue with the pieces scattered at the base. The statue was a typical ancient Roman statue of a nearly naked man.

"If you would take off your clothes this would be a lot easier for me," Annie mentioned with a laugh.

"Excuse me?" Auggie quirked an eyebrow.

"I need to assemble a naked man, would be helpful to have a completed model for comparison," she smirked.

Danielle and Kendall arrived in time to hear Auggie reply with, "I am pretty sure you have my naked body committed to memory by now."

"What exactly are we doing here?" Kendall asked with a smile.

"We are assembling a naked male statue, I was just trying to talk Auggie into being my model," Annie replied as she continued to piece the statue together.

"I think we could all get behind that," Danielle added appreciatively.

"Use your imaginations girls," Auggie blushed in response.

Annie finished her statue as Kendall got to work on theirs. The judge assessed Annie's complete and gave her the next clue, she brought the clue to Auggie and slid a hand up the front of his shirt.

"That statue has nothing on you," she whispered in his ear and smiled when his hands automatically went to her waist and held her closer.

Their Pit Stop was only 1 mile by foot at the Tempio di Segesta, an ancient Temple. As they arrived Annie noticed a tent city.

"No private room tonight babe," she informed him as they waved to Gwen.

"Look who is back in first place," Gwen greeted them.

"Not by much, those girls are kicking butt," Annie hooked her thumb back where Danielle and Kendall were sure to be along soon.

***555***

The first flash of lightening was brilliantly close, Annie squeezed Auggie's hand and whispered "Thunder" under her breath.

"I could smell it," he grinned and whispered back as the long rumble announced itself.

"Freak," she teased.

"Can't you smell it? The ozone, the wind shifting, the coming storm…" he pulled her back against his chest and hoped they were looking out over the water.

Her eyes slipped closed as she tried to rally her other senses to experience the storm the way Auggie did, but even with her eyes closed she could tell the lightening flash behind her eyelids.

"I love a good thunder storm," he sighed, his thumb rubbing distractingly against her hip.

"Me too," her voice betrayed her desire for that private room from Munich.

"Sorry guys, we are trying to get everyone inside, storm is going to be pretty bad," Gwen interrupted their reverie.

"Oh, OK, " Annie shook herself from her Auggie trance and he slipped his hand to her elbow as she led him among the crumbled ruins without injury.

"The tents are safe for now, but if it gets too bad, we will pull the vans up to wait it out. Stand by," Gwen instructed the group huddled in the main tent.

"Anyone up for a game of Truth or Dare," Emily suggested with a nervous laugh.

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

Amazing Part 10

Emily's idea of Truth or Dare did not really pick up support, but soon a make shift game of charades was going in one part of the tent and a poker game in another, wine was flowing freely and Annie and Auggie were sitting cross-legged on a mat facing each other.

"How do you do that?" Annie sighed and shook her head as Auggie slapped her hands again before she could pull them away.

"Your breath hitches and the tendons in your wrist tighten just before you are going to pull away. Not all tells are visual," Auggie smirked back and she leaned forward to kiss him.

"I'm sorry," Gwen interrupted with a muffled cough.

"Hey there," Annie greeted as she pulled back from Auggie lips, her wrists still held firmly by his hands.

"I was wondering if we could talk," Gwen crouched down her voice low.

"Sure," Annie nodded confused.

"Um, Mike and Rhonda are in another tent. I am not 100% sure and Rhonda won't tell me, but I think he has PTSD from September 11th and I think the storm kind of snuck up on him," Gwen confessed.

Auggie's brow furrowed and a look of concern washed over his face.

"I'm not a shrink," Auggie shrugged.

"I know, but I imagine you've seen a case or two, would you, could you talk to him and see if we need to be concerned, if we should be looking for someone professional," Gwen squeezed Auggie's shoulder.

"Of course," Auggie was on his feet brushing some dust off his butt.

Annie led him with Gwen's guidance to the tent, she had grabbed some water and cookies from the buffet and convinced Rhonda to give Auggie a few minutes with Mike. She wouldn't leave the tent but she did step away and sat with Annie quietly in the corner.

Annie couldn't take her eyes off Auggie, how careful and precise he was with his movements and his words. He started talking about the smell of the ocean from the ferry this morning, how calming it was. He mentioned how the ocean is such a sensory experience, but people assume since he can't see it that he doesn't enjoy it, but he spoke about the smell of it, the taste and sound of the waves, the gritty salty cool feel of it against your skin and in your hair.

Annie knew what he was doing, he was grounding Mike, giving him something tangible to focus on, a talisman of goodness. She was swept away by his words though, transported herself to a beach.

"Why don't you drink some of this," Auggie handed a cold bottle of water to Mike and Mike twisted off the cap and slowly drank from it, his eyes clearing.

"Thanks," he said and it was the only thing he had said since the storm blew in.

"Oh god," Rhonda's shoulders slumped in relief.

Annie gave her a quick hug and the other woman stood and made her way back. She passed Auggie moving away from her husband and reached out and brushed her hand along his arm to warn him before she launched herself into his arms.

"He's fine, make sure he eats and drinks plenty of water," Auggie told her quietly and stepped away. Rhonda just nodded.

As Annie and Auggie exited the tent, Annie's hand rubbing circles on his back to comfort the comforter, Gwen stood from the chair she was waiting in.

"Is he OK?" she looked so concerned.

"Yeah," Auggie smiled, "it wasn't a bad attack and probably heightened by exhaustion and dehydration. He's drinking some water now and Rhonda is going to get him some food."

"Thank you Auggie, I can't thank you enough," Gwen smiled and went back to tell her team the crisis was averted.

***555***

The next morning the teams were heading back to mainland Italy and catching a train to Rome. Annie noticed that Mike seemed perfectly fine as they boarded the ferry.

Their clue in Rome was at the Trevi Fountain, one of the most iconic spots in all of Italy. Annie knew her way around Rome pretty well, as did Auggie, so it was a quick journey for the pair. Annie stopped to throw a coin in the fountain ensuring a return visit someday.

"Did you know the money thrown in this fountain funds a grocery store for the needy," Annie mentioned as she handed Auggie a coin and positioned him so it would land in the water.

"That's pretty cool," Auggie grinned as he repeated the tradition.

The clue box was nearby and sure enough they were only in Rome long enough to toss their coins. Next stop: Athens.

***555***

All the teams were together on the flight to Athens, and friendships had certainly been forged: Annie really liked Kendall and Danielle and Auggie had found a lot in common with Brian, Gary and Warren. Annie had found it odd, they certainly had work friends, but their lives had very little of this kind of social interaction, it felt good.

"You should marry that girl," Warren mentioned, "she loves you."

"Warren, I think that is very likely to happen someday," Auggie grinned.

"I don't even like girls and she's pretty hot," Gary chimed in.

"I'll be sure to tell her she has the gay man's seal of approval."

"Seriously, in these conditions with no amenities and she looks as fresh as a daisy," Brian chimed in.

"Annie travels a lot, she is pretty good at it," Auggie shrugged.

***555***

The rain from Italy followed them to Greece and they arrived at the Agora to find their clue in the pouring rain. They were on their own until morning though as the Agora didn't open until 8:00 am.

Part of the challenge of the race was limited cash, no credit cards or emergency stashes of money. Annie was counting their cash and hoping the coins they threw in the Trevi were not the difference between a roof over their head for the night. Luckily they had enough money for a room at a small hotel and checked in wet and tired.

They stripped off their clothes, hung them up to dry and towel dried their hair before brushing their teeth and falling into a heap on the bed.

"G'night," Auggie mumbled.

"Night" Annie replied as she snuggled closer.

TBC…


	11. Chapter 11

Amazing part 11

The alarm sounded in time for Annie and Auggie to take a long hot shower and put on clean clothes for the day. As she went to grab her pack Auggie caught her arm and pulled her close. His kiss was soft and warm and full of tenderness, not a kiss to start something more.

"Nice," Annie smiled against his lips and hugged him close.

"Sorry I fell asleep so dramatically last night, I was wiped out," Auggie frowned.

"I was right behind you buddy, we needed the sleep," she ended the hug and placed his hand on the strap of his pack.

The rest of the group assembled right before 8:00 and Annie led Auggie through the ancient Agora to the clue box.

A train ride later they arrived in Corinth for an Individual Challenge that Annie had suspicions about.

"The clue says 'who wants to hear the sounds of their own screams' and we are near a canal," she hinted.

"I'm in," Auggie raised his hand with a giant smile on his face.

They made good time getting to the site of the challenge and sure enough Annie had been right, it was time for Bunge jumping.

"Oh hell no," Cathy exclaimed as she realized where they were.

"It's your turn babe, you have to pull your weight too," Brett chided.

Auggie went first as technically they were the first team to arrive at the last pit stop. Annie climbed to the top with him and watched as they harnessed him in and put a camera on his helmet.

"I don't think we'll want the DVD," Auggie grimaced.

"You can go frontwards or backwards, up to you," the instructor offered.

"The view is the same for me either way," Auggie smirked and positioned himself forwards.

Several teams were gathered around, Molly standing right next to Annie who was cringing slightly.

"Have fun," she choked out as the instructor counted down from 5.

When the instructor said 1 Auggie fell forward, his arms out as he was told and Annie watched as he squealed like a little kid. Annie, on the other hand, felt her own stomach lurch as she watched him fall away from her, she wondered if he felt that way every time she went on a mission.

They hauled Auggie back up and unbuckled him as Annie hugged him fiercely.

"That was awesome," Auggie snuck the words out as Annie showered kisses all over his face.

"Oh god," Cathy declared again as it was now her time to jump.

"Just close your eyes," Auggie advised as Annie led him away with their clue in hand.

***555***

"Do you think you could throw a javelin without, you know, killing anyone?" Annie asked as she read the next clue.

"Depends on how crowded the place is," Auggie shrugged, "why?"

"Our choice is to gather pieces of pottery with Greek letters on them and figure out our next location from a map, which I could probably do OK, but the other one is 3 ancient Olympic activities: discus, javelin and wrestling. I could throw a discus, that would be kind of disorienting for you, but if you can throw a javelin I think we could ace this one," Annie reasoned as she led them towards the field.

"Just point me in the right direction," Auggie grinned.

Annie thought the crew looked a little concerned with Annie and Auggie choosing this challenge, but Annie had seen Auggie do a whole lot of things he shouldn't have been able to do.

Annie started with the discus and it took her 2 throws, but she made the distance. She grabbed the javelin and put in Auggie's hand, watched him lift it to his shoulder and practice the movement, judge the weight of it. She guided him to the beginning of the track he would run down before making he throw.

"Can I walk it once, just to get the pace?" Auggie asked and the crew was more than happy to give him any preparations he needed.

"Count it out," Annie helped and Auggie had it down.

He returned to the top of the track and took off, the javelin held aloft. He let it fly when Annie told him too and the javelin flew long and arced perfectly to catch the ground.

"Wow," the crew member closest to Auggie said with awe.

"Did I kill anyone?"

"No, but you killed it, perfect," Annie smiled and led him to the wrestling circle.

Auggie made short work of their opponent in the circle and a crew member, still shaking his head over the javelin toss, handed them their clue as Brett and Cathy arrived.

"You OK?" Annie asked Cathy.

"Yeah, it wasn't so bad," Cathy smiled.

"Congratulations," Annie waved and led Auggie back to their vehicle.

They had a 100 mile drive ahead of them so Annie stopped and got some water and snacks and tried to find a radio station they could at least hum along to as the day cleared and the bright blue sky met the bright blue Gulf of Corinth in front of them.

"Wonder if Eyal is nearby in his boat," Annie grinned.

"I am sure he has gotten bored with sailing by now," Auggie replied as he finished the last of the oddly paprika flavored potato chips Annie had bought.

"Probably," Annie shrugged as she started to pay attention to the directions.

"First again," Gwen shook her head.

"I have Mr. Fearless as my partner," Annie shook her head.

"You're the one who let me throw a long pointy stick," he quipped.

"I think the story of the blind man and the javelin will be part of World Race lore from this day forward," Gwen laughed.

"The man, the myth, the legend," Annie laughed as Gwen showed them around their accommodations for the evening.

"Enjoy your last night in Europe…."Gwen hinted as she left them at their room.

***555***

Sure enough, the next day had them departing Athens for Muscat, Oman.

"Finally, I get to ask for directions," Auggie grinned as Annie read the clue.

TBC…


	12. Chapter 12

Amazing Part 12

Their flight took them through Bahrain and soon enough they were on the ground in Oman. The heat was overwhelming and Annie tried to keep cool without revealing too much skin.

There were 4 wheel drive vehicles waiting for them and a hand-drawn map to a small village.

"Looks like rough terrain, glad we have some decent wheels," Annie commented as she got in the vehicle and found the air conditioning.

The roads were dusty and unmarked, but Annie felt confident she was going in the right direction, but then suddenly out of nowhere was a river with no bridge over it. There were no other teams around which either meant Annie was the only one in the right place or they were in the wrong place.

"Is there a man around, a local?"

"Yes."

"Pull up to him and roll down the window," Auggie instructed.

Auggie spoke to the man in Arabic for a bit, there was a bit of a debate about whether Annie could handle the task, then he fished some coins out of his pocket (unsure of their denomination or currency, but more as a gesture than true payment) and sat back against his seat.

"He'll lead you across, put it in 4 wheel drive and trust him," Auggie instructed.

"OK," Annie smiled and did as she was told.

When they had cleared the water Annie rolled the window down again and smiled at the old man.

"Shukran," she thanked him and he smiled a broad smile of white teeth against his sun-kissed skin.

"Gamila," he responded and turned away.

"Did he just call me beautiful?" Annie asked.

"He did," Auggie smirked.

"Excellent, getting hit on by 80 year old men, love it," Annie teased.

***555***

After another river crossing Annie and Auggie finally made it to the clue box, they had a choice between relocating a camel with a pick-up truck or climbing 3 watchtowers around town looking for a clue. The watchtowers were far apart and several stories high, but camels were a pain in the ass.

"Aren't camels like the most obstinate creatures on the planet?" Annie asked as she shielded her eyes from the sun.

"They can be pretty awful, but I always got along well with them. I am the camel whisperer," Auggie assured and took her arm.

They found the pick-up truck and Annie backed it up to the pulley that would be used to hoist the camel. She and Auggie managed to get the sling under the giant animal that just sat there looking wholly unimpressed with their sweaty efforts.

Auggie's muscle got the pulley lifted and Annie backed the truck up further. Auggie lowered the camel and together they got the sling off. As Auggie was discussing the route with the Bedouins who would accompany them to the camel's new home, three other teams arrived: Brett and Cathy, Brian and Gary and Emily and Rick.

"Did you guys have to cross rivers?" Annie asked still unsure she had gone the right way.

"Yeah, it was wild, took us quite a bit of time to figure out what we were supposed to do," Rick explained.

"Glad you got through, we're off to deliver this camel….somewhere," Annie rolled her eyes at the seeming ridiculousness of it all.

She and Auggie hopped into the truck and Auggie recited directions.

"Wow, this is the middle of nowhere," Annie commented at the vast desert in front of them.

"There were times in Iraq when I thought I would have been better off stationed on the moon. The desert is incredibly frightening and unforgiving, but it can be beautiful in its own way and when you do find life within it it seems miraculous," Auggie looked wistful.

"I did some hiking in New Mexico once, but nothing like this or that," Annie squeezed his hand.

The Bedouin camp appeared as if from nowhere and Annie was pleased to see they had water waiting. She hoped it was for them and not the camel. They got the camel out of the truck without incident and were given cups of water and a clue.

Auggie talked to the camp leader about their next destination and got some tips on getting there faster, there was a tricky interchange back near town. Annie noticed a young girl who was staring at Auggie curiously.

"You have an admirer," she mentioned.

"Who?"

"A little girl, maybe 7," Annie replied.

"Do you have any candy left?"

"I do," she rifled around in her bag and came up with some fruity candy she had picked up in Greece.

"Bring me to her?" Auggie asked as he took the candy.

Annie led him over to her and stood back as he talked to her and gave her the candy. A woman, the girl's mother Annie supposed, watched cautiously but did not interfere with the exchange. Auggie didn't touch the girl and held the candy out for her to take. Annie was amazed by the exchange, by the rules and mores for girls in other parts of the world.

The girl thanked Auggie, giggled and ran off so similar to her nieces but a completely different existence at the same time.

"Sorry for the delay," Auggie stood up from the hard cracked earth.

"No problem," Annie said, her voice a little watery.

Auggie's directions to Hawiyah were very good and Annie had no trouble finding their next challenge. Like the gnome field in Germany Annie was pretty certain this challenge was all hers and since Auggie did the last individual in Greece she just opened the envelope without consulting with him.

"Hungry?" Annie asked.

"Almost always, why?"

"I have to find our dinner in the desert," Annie sighed.

"Huh?"

"There is a burlap sack buried in this field with our lamb cooking in it," Annie explained.

"Good luck," he patted her on the back.

Annie grabbed a shovel and started at one of the nearest mounds, unsure of how deep the parcel would be buried. The sand instantly scratched her eyes and throat and the heat was unbearable.

It took her over 45 minutes to find the sack, Brett and Cathy pulling in as she lugged it back towards their vehicle. Auggie had water waiting for her and she leaned her body heavily against him, he rubbed her back as she sipped the water.

"You OK?" Cathy asked.

Annie just nodded as she continued to drink the water.

"Alright, I can move now," Annie finally said to Auggie just before he started to worry.

"You sure, Walker?"

"Yeah, I thought I was going to puke, but I'm good," she assured him.

"Let's get the AC going in the car," he suggested.

Annie let her body temp and heart rate drop before pulling out and driving the last 15 miles of the day to the Pit Stop.

"Welcome to Jabreen Castle," Gwen smiled.

"Thanks," Annie and Auggie replied weekly but in unison.

"Let me show you around, you both look like you could use some rest," Gwen put a hand on Annie's shoulder.

TBC…


	13. Chapter 13

Amazing Part 13

The castle was huge and ancient, but despite the lack of modern amenities like air conditioning, the inner rooms were cool and dry with filtered light and comfortable furniture. Annie noticed some of the rooms had twin beds, but Gwen led them to a room with a single larger bed, not quite a queen size bed, but big enough for the two of them to sleep comfortably.

"Half of you are on this floor and half up above, there are two full baths on each floor, private, first come first serve. Dinner will be at 6:00 for everyone who makes it by then, your lamb will be served," Gwen winked.

"Oh God, I forgot about the lamb, it's in the back of the vehicle," Annie made to go get it.

"It's OK, I'll send someone for it," Gwen smiled, "enjoy the quiet, take a bath."

Annie nodded and Gwen left them alone. They dropped their packs and Annie instantly was in hers looking for something cool to wear. She had a very light weight sundress that wasn't too much of a wrinkled mess. She also had a tiny bit of bubble bath from the hotel in Munich.

"Private, gender-neutral bathrooms, care to join me," she opened the bubbles and ran them under his nose.

"I can't think of anything I would like to do more," Auggie smiled and kissed her gently.

Annie led them through the halls peeking into different rooms as they went.

"This place is amazing," she whispered in awe.

Finally she found one of the bathrooms, a full-sized room like the one they would be sleeping in. Here were the only signs of true modernity she had seen in the building. Beautiful fixtures, a large glass stall shower and a huge sunken stone bathtub.

"This will do," Annie said with humor in her voice.

"Nice?"

"Oh yeah," she assured him as she went and began filling the tub with tepid water and the rest of the bubble bath from Germany.

While the huge tub filled she led Auggie to the sink and they both brushed their teeth and stripped their clothes, soaking them in the basin. She then led him to the shower where the washed the bulk of the dirt off before sullying the pristine bath water.

"Come on," she whispered, "there is a step up and then it is a very high lip," she instructed as she got in first and held Auggie's hand as he navigated himself into the tub.

She turned him so his back was to the proper end and he sat down in the refreshing water. Once he was settled Annie sat as well, grabbing a washcloth on the way. She began facing him, using the cloth to rub soothing circles on Auggie's chest.

"You did the hard work today Walker, let me," he took the cloth from her and nudged her until she turned around.

He ran the cloth up and down her strong arms, along her graceful neck and collar bone and down over the front of her chest. He followed the cloth with his lips both soft and warm against her shoulder and collar bone.

"Do you know how much I admire you Annie? How much you impress me every day?" he spoke against her skin and a shiver ran down her spine in the best possible way.

***555***

By the time they emerged from the bathroom they could hear voices of other teams in the castle. They were glad to see a line hadn't formed for the bathroom yet though, they would have felt mildly guilty. They padded barefoot back to their room and Annie brushed out her wet hair and braided it. She tried to stifle it, but a huge yawn escaped.

Auggie felt his watch face and smiled. "It's only 4:00 you should take a little nap before dinner," he suggested.

"Maybe a quick one, don't let me sleep too long though or I won't sleep tonight," she was already moving toward the bed.

"Half hour tops, I'm going to explore a bit," he found his cane in his pack and she heard the telltale click of it opening through her already closed eyes.

"Have fun," she murmured as she slipped beneath the cool sheets.

Auggie closed the door quietly behind him, certain Annie was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. He tapped his cane on the stone floor and moved toward one end of the hall. He could feel the heat of the day and felt an opening out to what he assumed was a courtyard in front of him. He could hear the water of a fountain and the pages of a book turning.

"Oh, hey there," Gwen called.

"Gwen, that you?" he asked with a smile.

"It is Auggie, care to join me for some tea?" she offered.

"That would be great, Annie is napping," he hooked a thumb behind him to indicate where he came from, "she was beat, didn't want to distract her."

"That was nice of you," Gwen smiled and led Auggie to a seat on the edge of the fountain and handed him a small cup of tea.

"We spend a lot of time together, but this has been nearly two weeks of solid togetherness," Auggie shrugged.

"Is everything OK?"

"Everything is great, but I don't want to forget how to get around on my own," Auggie indicated the cane.

"I have seen a lot of couples do this event, couples that have been together for decades and new couples and everything in between. You guys are so clearly in love," Gwen blurted it out and then felt bad, "Sorry, not my place to comment, at all," she backtracked.

"It's OK, I bet you get to observe all kinds of things in your job," Auggie mentioned casually as he sipped his tea appearing unfazed by her comments.

"Yeah, the world is a remarkable place, I am really lucky to get to see it the way I do. I heard about your interaction with the little girl in the Bedouin camp, you handled that well," Gwen was so curious about Auggie.

"I met a lot of kids in Iraq," Auggie started, "I don't know a whole lot about kids, but they seem to be universal to me, give them a ball and a smile and some candy and they are happy."

"That's been my experience too," Gwen assured him.

***555***

Auggie slipped into the room, 40 minutes after leaving, and he could tells he was still asleep by the steady soft breath. He moved to the bed, his cane tapping lightly against the stone floor. Once there he felt along the soft blanket and assessed there was enough room for him to join her.

He slipped off his shoes and tucked them under the bed, leaned his cane against the wall near the head of the bed and slid onto the mattress spooning her in his arms.

"Time to wake up," he whispered in her ear and felt her body tighten and then relax in his arms.

TBC…


	14. Chapter 14

Amazing Part 14

"I love you," Annie stated softly but definitively as she sat down at a small table with Auggie to enjoy the lamb she worked so hard to unearth.

"Right back atchya, but what brought this on?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye, they weren't real free with the l word.

"I was just listening to the way Brett talks to Cathy, seriously, is this the 18th century?"

"He is a little pre-historic," Auggie smiled and continued eating.

"Remember my first few days," Annie stated quietly and vaguely to avoid eavesdropping.

"I am not likely to ever forget it. Seriously, full on dementia probably won't strip those days from my memory," he smiled and she pinched his cheek.

"When we figured out what was really going on and Joan and I went to the Smithsonian to take care of it, you said ' Go get'em girls' with a conviction that we could take care of it just fine on our own. You have always been so supportive of me, and I hope you know, now that we are more than colleagues, that that means so much to me," she squeezed his hand.

"My mother raised 5 sons, that alone would be enough to convince me women can do anything, but then I have had the honor of working and serving with some kick ass women over the past ten years. Now that we are, more than colleagues, I will never treat you differently Annie. I love how strong and how strong-willed you are, even if it frustrates me to no end some times," he squeezed back.

"Well I want you to know it is appreciated," she was blushing now.

"Duly noted," he smiled and leaned in to kiss her softly.

"Last call for chow folks, I encourage you to get a good night's sleep, the next few days are going to be mighty long," Gwen advised and with a wave she was gone.

Everyone wandered back to their rooms at Gwen's encouragement, but Annie was wide awake after her nap.

"I knew napping was a bad idea," she sighed as she changed into her pajamas.

"We could have sex," Auggie mentioned nonchalantly.

"You're putting that option on the table are you?" she laughed.

"Just saying, I don't think I've ever had sex in a castle," he appeared to be flipping through some sort of rolodex in his head.

"OK, how about you stop remembering all the times you had sex without me and we just do it now," she tugged him towards the bed.

***555***

The next morning came quick and Annie and Auggie opened their clue as they rubbed sleep out of their eyes.

"Australia," Annie said and the word was enough. There was no easy way to get to Australia, ever.

All the teams caught up at the airport and were split into 2 different bunches to get to Perth the next day, it was literally going to be an entire day and a half of airports and planes. Annie and Auggie were happy to be traveling with Danielle & Kendall, Brian & Gary, Mike & Rhonda and Emily & Rick, it was a nice crew.

Auggie had wandered off to the men's room as Annie flipped through a guide book and that is where Kendall found her.

"Cashew?" she offered the bag of nuts to Annie.

"Thanks," Annie smiled and took a couple.

"So, that castle was pretty cool," Kendall started.

"Yeah, it was a nice pit stop," Annie agreed.

"Strange though, the acoustics were really odd, I could hear all kinds of things going on last night," Kendall teased.

"Oh?" Annie tried to play dumb although the tips of her ears were burning.

"Mmmhmm," Kendall giggled.

"Oh God," Annie tipped her head back.

"Yeah, heard that a few times actually."

"I'm so embarrassed," Annie brought her hands to her burning cheeks.

"Are you kidding, nothing to be embarrassed about, I think we were the only ones who could hear you, we were in the room above you," Danielle chimed in when she realized what they were talking about.

"We were trying to be quiet," Annie assured just as Auggie returned.

"Hey Auggie," Kendall and Danielle greeted in unison.

"Hello Ladies, what's up?" he asked genially and all 3 of the women in front of him dissolved into hysterics.

***555***

After 3 planes, a taxi and a ferry Annie and Auggie and the rest of the teams from their flights wound up on Rottnest Island near Perth Australia in front of their most daunting piece of transportation yet.

"When's the last time you rode a bike?" Annie furrowed her brow.

"Are you serious?"

"Well, there is some good news, it is a tandem bike, so you don't have to navigate," she still sounded concerned.

"Oh, no problem," Auggie scoffed.

"Says the guy who doesn't need to navigate and weighs almost twice as much as I do," Annie might have been slightly crabby after the 9,000 mile trip.

"We got this," Auggie assured her and helped her lead one of the bikes away from the other teams.

Annie observed the other teams having trouble with the bikes as well, so she couldn't really blame it on Auggie, but it was tricky to get the rhythm right. Finally they got some momentum and managed to stay upright.

"See, what did I tell ya?" Auggie stated and Annie could hear the smile in his voice.

It was only a couple miles to the beach where their next challenge lie. Annie stayed alert and gave direction, but was simultaneously amazed at what they had accomplished together so far.

"OK, we are going to brake gently, glide to a stop and both tilt to the left," Annie instructed as they approached the parking area of the beach.

"Smells like we are in the right place," Auggie inhaled deeply the sea air.

"It is beautiful, so much blue," Annie commented as the other teams made their way to the parking area.

Annie read the clue, their choices: move a pile of 40 huge branches across the beach, raking the sand as they go or dive down and find 2 crayfish in traps on the ocean floor.

"I am kind of done with sand after Oman, if you follow the buoy line down do you think you could wrangle a crayfish? We each have to catch one," she asked.

"Sure, you get me to the marker I can grab the critter," Auggie assured her and they set off to the cabana to change.

"I'd like to stay here for the rest of the day," Annie mentioned as she grabbed masks, gloves and a net bag.

"Pretty simple task here folks, the buoys mark traps below, swim down grab a crayfish, each of you bring one in to the bucket and you get your next clue. Not all the traps will have crayfish and there might be other crustaceans down there, this is a crayfish," the instructor held up a lobster looking thing.

"Got it," Annie nodded.

They waded into the water and it was both warm and refreshing at the same time, the perfect ocean temperature. Annie dunked under the water to wet her hair before donning the mask.

"I feel ridiculous wearing the mask," Auggie lamented.

"You'll feel more ridiculous if you get salt water in your eyes," Annie replied.

Once they were geared up, Annie pointed Auggie to 12:00 and let him set out in front of her, they had a 50 yards or so to swim to get to the traps. Auggie kept a pretty straight course and they were there in no time. Brian & Gary and Kendall & Danielle were out with them in the water.

"Hang tight, I'll be right back," Annie instructed as Auggie tread water and she dived down to scope out the traps.

Annie did a quick perusal of the scene underwater, there were a few decent sized rocks, but other than that nothing Auggie could really hurt himself on and nothing too scary in the form of sea life.

"The traps are pretty deep, need to hold your breath for a bit, take them one at a time until you find something spiny. Watch out for rocks and coral, but otherwise it is a diver's paradise down there," Annie swam them to a buoy and Auggie took hold of the rope.

"Here goes nothing," he inhaled and he was under water before Annie could wish him luck.

TBC…


	15. Chapter 15

Amazing Part 15

Auggie was underwater for a while and emerged with nothing to show for it. Annie led him to another buoy and, undeterred, he went back down. He found the trap with no problem, and sure enough there was something scurrying around in there, he hoped it was a crayfish.

Annie saw his head pop up followed quickly by his gloved hand wrapped around the flailing multi-legged creature they were after.

"You did it!" she screeched a little she was so excited.

Annie opened the net bag and Auggie placed the creature inside, she tugged the drawstring on the bag and handed it over to him before setting off to find her own.

"I can't stay down long enough to reach the trap," Danielle was freaking out a little.

"Yes you can just trust yourself and don't panic," Kendall encouraged.

Auggie could hear a lot of splashing and flailing.

"Danielle, use your torso like a rudder, turn back and forth to propel yourself downward, use short controlled kicks for power," Auggie instructed.

"Thought you served in the desert," Danielle laughed her voice a little shaky.

"You get trained for everything, I had snowshoe training too," Auggie smirked.

Annie popped up then with a crayfish in hand and brought it to Auggie.

"We're done," she touched his shoulder.

"OK, just want to make sure Danielle is OK," Auggie handed her the bag.

Danielle popped up after a longer turn under water.

"That was so much easier, still don't have a crayfish, but I got super close to the trap this time. Thanks, Auggie!"

"You're welcome, good luck," he smiled and allowed Annie to swim him back to shore.

They delivered their bounty and were handed a clue.

"Woo hoo!" Annie exclaimed upon reading it.

"What?"

"We are already home. We're staying at the yacht club tonight, barbecue on the beach and we have the afternoon free to recover from travel," she reported with a huge smile.

"Nice," he agreed.

Annie claimed some towels and some snacks and the two of them found a remote little patch of sand to relax.

"Sunscreen?" Annie asked.

"Are you giving or receiving?" he smirked and found her bare shoulder with his lips.

"Both," her voice faltered a little when his cool lips touched her warm skin.

"You first," he offered and put his hand out for the bottle of lotion.

"Don't miss any spots," she advised as she rolled onto her stomach.

"Trust me, I may not be able to see them, but I am intimately acquainted with all your spots," he whispered in her ear as he leaned over her.

The sunscreen application took a lot longer than necessary, but Annie was fairly certain she was sufficiently coated in the stuff when she reclaimed the bottle from Auggie. She kneeled behind him and repeated the process covering his back in the SPF45 that she hoped was sufficient for the serious sun they were enjoying.

"I think we should approach Gwen," Auggie said quietly.

"Yeah?" Annie replied as she continued the sunscreening.

"I had a talk with her while you were napping in Oman, nothing serious, but she is bright and kind and I think she can be brought in," Auggie moaned a bit when Annie's hands found their way down his sides to his hips.

"We should start wearing sunscreen every day," he mentioned when she pushed him on his back and proceeded to work on his chest.

"Skin cancer is no laughing matter," Annie agreed.

"What is our approach?" Auggie asked as he allowed Annie to skim her hands all over his abs.

"I have an idea, it came to me the night in Italy when you helped Mike," Annie leaned down to kiss him and whispered.

"You want me to pretend to have PTSD?" he asked with concern.

"No, god, of course not, I would never ask you to do that. But, if one of us were to get ill or hurt, we could probably get Gwen alone. It is too risky to out ourselves in public. Also, if things go wrong we could have a plausible out to leave," she proposed.

"Could work," he nodded.

"We don't have to lose a limb or anything, I could fake a twisted ankle on the next challenge."

"OK, tomorrow it is. In the meantime I say we enjoy Australia, in case we are on a plane home tomorrow," Auggie smiled and rolled her underneath him.

"Watch it Romeo, we have to be a little more discreet. Danielle and Kendall heard us in Oman," Annie confessed.

"Heard us what?" Auggie looked adorably confused.

"Do you remember our night in the castle…?"

"I do," he kissed her, "Oh….oh," he finally realized what she was saying.

"Yeah," she chuckled.

"Well, that's embarrassing," he moved off her slightly but not completely.

"Yeah," she repeated.

"You are pretty loud," he teased and she smacked his bare chest.

The afternoon gave way to a fantastic barbecue on the beach, everyone relaxing and enjoying the sunset.

***555***

The next day found them on a short flight to Darwin and a jeep ride out to a crocodile farm.

"Isn't this a little stereotypical?" Auggie lamented as he made his away out of the vehicle.

"Come on, I loved Crocodile Dundee," Annie enthused.

"Of course you did," he shook his head.

The crocs were not huge, but they weren't cute little babies either and leading Auggie through them without him stepping on one was a challenge, but they got their clue.

After bumping along for another 50 miles they found themselves at a grassy airfield, with a picture of a small plane, the kind of plane used for….

"Skydiving!" Annie exclaimed.

Her joy was short-lived when she realized it was a tandem jump, but only for one of them.

"You can go if you want," Auggie offered sensing her disappointment at the Individual nature of the challenge.

"Maybe they'll let us go together, I am certified after all. It was listed in my application, I wouldn't be giving anything away. I want you to go, but I want to go with you," Annie squeezed his arm.

As they talked Cathy & Brett arrived and got the first slot to dive, Brett offering to spare Cathy the heights this time.

"You can just go," Auggie said again.

"I know you want to do this and I want it for you, I just want to share it with you," Annie explained trying to not seem selfish.

Finally she decided to talk to the instructor, he pulled out a tablet and looked up her application, reviewed her credentials and agreed they could tandem together instead of with an instructor. They leaned on the back of the jeep and watched as Brett's plane took off, their fingers twined together, Annie looking towards the sky and Auggie turned towards Annie.

TBC…


	16. Chapter 16

Amazing Part 16

"Seriously, you both want to do that?" Cathy pointed at the clear blue sky.

"I dive a lot," Annie shrugged.

"And I haven't in a long time," Auggie explained.

"You two are kind of nuts," Cathy smiled.

"Kind of?" Auggie frowned.

Just as he was about to expound on how nuts they really were the trio heard Brett yelling as he approached the ground.

"We're next," Annie hopped a little and led Auggie over to get suited up.

***555***

As the small plane ascended Auggie started to laugh.

"What?" Annie asked as she did all the safety checks on their equipment.

"I wonder what Joan would say if she knew what was going on," Auggie smiled.

"She might tell me I am a bad influence on you," she poked a finger into his chest and he captured her hand.

"Maybe I am a bad influence on you," he kissed her hand.

"You two ready?" the instructor called over the sound of the engines.

"We are," Annie tugged her attention from her handsome boyfriend.

The instructor clicked all the fastenings in place. Since Auggie was taller than Annie he was pretty much giving her a piggy back ride until they were released into the air.

"Let's do this Walker," he turned his head and she rewarded him with a kiss.

"Have fun," the instructor called as he pushed them through the open door.

The initial free fall was as exhilarating as Auggie remembered, the rush of air, the drop of his stomach. All of it was heightened though by the feel of Annie pressed behind him, her breathing catching and releasing in his ear.

She patted his shoulder to indicate she was getting ready to pull the ripcord, which would pull them back up almost 3 stories in a matter of seconds.

"It's beautiful," Annie yelled over the sound of the wind.

"It sure is," Auggie agreed.

They glided gently for a few minutes, Annie could see large farmland edged by more tropical looking foliage. As they approached the ground Annie held tightly to Auggie's shoulders and wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Your legs are going to hit first, I'll give you plenty of warning," she informed.

"I'll get you down safely," he replied with a wide smile.

"You always do," she kissed the back of his neck.

"OK, we are coming in," Annie piloted the chute to bring them in straight.

"Three, two, one…" Annie counted off and Auggie felt the earth approach.

His feet hit the ground and even with the momentum of Annie behind him he landed upright hitting the ground at a jog. Annie detached the chute and stayed wrapped around Auggie while the team came to separate their gear. Once free she slid down his back and got her own feet on the ground.

"Thank you," he turned and found her cheek with his cupped hand.

"You're welcome," she nodded into the hand.

Ed and Molly were fighting over which one of them was going to jump. Emily was suiting up and Kendall was walking out to the plane, but Annie and Auggie were in a kind of 'endorphin bubble' from their jump and they missed it all. A staff member handed them a clue as they walked back to the jeep.

"I want to do that again," Auggie sighed.

"I want to do you right now," Annie pushed him against the back of the jeep and kissed him thoroughly.

He smiled into the kiss and held her tight to his body.

"We have work to do," he reminded her.

"I know," she acknowledged but didn't stop kissing him, although her fervor ebbed.

The change to long slow kisses didn't help Auggie focus though and soon his hands were sliding up under the back of her shirt.

"Annie?" he questioned as his hands moved back down and pulled her closer still.

Her hips shifted making them both moan into the kiss.

"Annie? Work?" he ground out as her nails found their way to his sides.

"I know," she repeated.

"We are reaching a tipping point here," Auggie began when Annie relinquished his lips and moved her mouth to his neck, "where we either need to stop now or finish this."

"Oh my God, you guys," a third voice joined the conversation.

Annie froze and separated herself slightly from Auggie's body. The next thing she heard was a giggle and she realized it was just Kendall and Danielle.

"Hey, how was your jump?" Annie asked innocently.

"Really exhilarating," Kendall picked her words purposefully.

"It really is a rush," Auggie agreed with a grin, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on Annie's hip.

***555***

Once in the jeep Annie opened the clue and presented their options: a walk through the Outback looking for aborigines with matching didgeridoos and learning to play a song or a 1 mile trek through land and water through a rain forest full of snakes and spiders.

"The trek would give us a more legitimate chance to injure ourselves," Annie pointed out their initial plan to get Gwen alone.

"Annie, I know how you feel about spiders," Auggie said with no teasing.

"I'll be OK, I think this is our best bet," Annie reached for his hand.

She followed the directions to the starting point of the trek. The instructors gave her the scoop, follow the trail marked with the red ribbons, in and out of the river, watch out for uneven terrain, snakes and spiders. The crew would move their jeep to the end.

"Got it," Annie noted and realized Danielle and Kendall must have gone to the other challenge, smart girls.

A mile wasn't very long, but the terrain was really rough and the rivers rocky and slippery. Auggie slipped twice and brought Annie down hard with him once.

"We might not need to fake anything," Annie laughed as she saw the blood trickle down her arm.

"You OK?" he looked concerned.

"Yeah, just a Aaaaah!" she screamed as she noticed the good-sized spider on Auggie's shoulder.

"Where is it?" he didn't flinch and knew why she screamed.

"Your shoulder, I'll get it," she offered.

"It's OK, I can get it, which shoulder?"

"Left," she cringed as he reached up and flicked it off.

"Let's keep going," he smiled and reached for her elbow.

They made it to the end, exhausted by their efforts and both thinking the CIA should incorporate this 1 mile stretch on its survival training course.

"You guys OK?" the staff person at the other end noted the scratches and Annie's slight limp.

"Yeah," Annie nodded.

"Need some medical?" one of them looked at her with concern.

"Depends on what's next?" Annie answered truthfully.

"Here's your clue," one guy handed it over while another handed Auggie a bottle of water.

"We can finish," Annie smiled.

"You sure?" Auggie was actually concerned for Annie after one particular fall.

"Yeah, I just have to get us 6 miles in the Jeep, it isn't my driving foot," she relayed.

"Oh thank god, wouldn't want to injure the driving foot," Auggie snarked.

"Come on Spiderman, let's go," she waved to the crew and led Auggie to the jeep.

Annie took her sweet time checking he vehicle to make sure one of those creepy critters wasn't under a visor or in the drink holder, she didn't want to drive them off the road in a panic. Once clear she gently lowered herself into the driver's seat and started the engine.

Danielle and Kendall beat them to the Pit Stop, but Annie was all smiles when they reached Gwen.

"You two OK?" Gwen asked.

"Kind of, mostly just scratches, but I think I tweaked my ankle," Annie leaned on Auggie.

"We'll get you all fixed up," Gwen smiled warmly.

A male staff member brought them to a trailer set up as a medical facility, complete with exam tables and a drug cabinet. He was quiet and proficient as he cleaned the scratches and wrapped Annie's actually swollen ankle.

"You guys should rest in here for a bit, it is cooler and you can hydrate," the guy smiled at Annie.

"Thanks, um, I was wondering if I could talk to Gwen for a second, it's kind of a girl thing," Annie wrinkled her nose.

"Sure, I'll grab her," the guy said and exited hastily.

"Nice play Walker, exploit men's universal fear of all things related to female physiology."

"You have no idea how effective that can be," she grinned.

"Hey, you guys OK?" Gwen came in and grabbed some water.

"Yes, we're fine actually. We were hoping to get a few minutes of your time…."

TBC…


	17. Chapter 17

Amazing part 17

Gwen settled down on a chair across from Annie.

"Sure, go ahead," she looked concerned.

"Gwen, Auggie and I don't work for the Smithsonian," Annie began quietly.

"OK," Gwen looked puzzled.

"We work for the CIA," Auggie continued.

"OK," now Gwen looked shocked.

"We have been asked to approach you, to ask you to consider serving your country," Annie picked up.

"You're recruiting me?" Gwen smirked, "I have a job."

"We know that and we are very interested in the job you have. We are recruiting you, but not as an Operative, as an asset," Auggie explained.

"You want me to exploit the people I know in certain parts of the world for the government?" Gwen summed it up.

"Exploit is a harsh word," Annie sighed, why was this never easy.

"So you guys are CIA and this has all been one big mission for you then? Is anything about you accurate? I was really starting to like you two," Gwen's words were measured, not overly emotional and Auggie realized she would make a very good asset.

"The only lie we told was about our employer, the rest of us is completely real," Annie assured her.

"You're really a couple then?"

"Yes, we were chosen for this because we are really a couple," Auggie confirmed and ran his hand down Annie's arm to hold her hand.

"And you were really blinded in Iraq and still do field work?" Gwen was skeptical.

"I do very limited field work, although more since I started dating her," he held their joined hands up and kissed Annie's knuckles.

"What would you expect of me?"

"A heads up on where you will be on a monthly basis, possible courier services or simple things like stocking a safe house. Nothing dangerous and nothing unethical, you simply present us with an opportunity to access parts of the world we can't always have Operatives in 24/7. Your language skills, your adaptability are admirable, there could be room for more, if you want it," Annie indicated.

"Do I have to tell you now?" Gwen peeled at the label on the water bottle.

"No, not at all, you can think about it for as long as you need. If you haven't decided by the time we leave I will contact you securely so you know how to reach us. This is the really soft pitch, it shouldn't be an easy decision for you," Annie hopped off the table, relinquishing Auggie's hand and squatted down in front of Gwen.

"I'll think about it," she nodded.

"That's all we ask," Auggie smiled.

"So you don't have a yeast infection or something?" Gwen smirked at Annie.

"No, I'm fine," she squeezed the younger woman's arm.

"You'll keep this conversation…."

"Yeah, yeah," Gwen assured quickly and stood to leave.

***555***

The Pit Stop at Lake Bennett Wilderness Resort lived up to its name, there was a little too much wilderness for Annie's liking as she begged Gary to search her sleeping bag twice for spiders before reluctantly crawling in.

The next morning they were off to Bangkok and a nice long flight to Thailand allowed her to catch up on the sleep she missed in the Outback. Gwen had seemed fine since their talk, but hadn't made a move to get them alone again.

A bus ride to Lophuri and it was time for an individual challenge.

"I think I have to take this one babe," Annie squeezed his arm as Auggie perked up to a distinct noise.

"Do I hear monkeys?" he furrowed his brow.

"Lots and lots of monkeys and I need to assemble a ceremonial offering for them out of fruit and flowers and stuff. Wish my sister was here," she laughed.

"You have to make a fruit salad for monkeys?"

"That about sums it up," she confirmed.

"Well have at it, wish I could help," he said in a tone that said he was really glad he couldn't help.

The challenge proved to be more challenging for Annie than the others as even though only 1 person could assemble the display, the other member was allowed to give instructions and shoo away the monkeys who were not waiting patiently for their fruit. Auggie, and his cane, proved good at shooing, but not so helpful with telling her where to place the watermelon rose she had just carved.

"Here you are," the judge finally declared Annie's offering complete and she hadn't even stepped aside to open the envelope when the monkeys destroyed it.

"Now I know how my mother always felt at Thanksgiving," Annie watched her hard work be devoured for a few minutes before leading Auggie back out to get a cab to the ferry terminal.

Their next stop was Koh Kret Island where they found and wandered through a gorgeous Buddha Garden. The desire to win the race had faded for Annie, she was hoping to succeed in her mission and beyond that she just wanted to spend time with Auggie.

"Want to sit for a minute?" she led him to a bench near a koi pond.

"Sure, you OK?" he worried about her ankle.

"I'm totally fine Auggie, it is just really pretty and peaceful here and I want to enjoy it. We won't get another chance like this," she spoke vaguely of their work.

"I know," he pulled her close, kissed her hair.

They sat silently, absorbing their surroundings, they never saw another team. Just as Annie was about to slip into a mix of meditation and full on sleep she felt something land on her knee. Still skittish from the spiders in Australia she jumped a little, but saw that all it was was a blossom from the vibrant yellow flowering tree they sat under.

She tucked the flower behind her ear, kissed Auggie on the cheek and stood, indicating their break was over. She led him to the clue box and was uncertain of which task to choose.

"We have a choice between another arts & crafts project involving gold leaf and a Buddha altar or we can try to transport 20 clay pots on a wooden plank half a mile," she twirled the clue in her hand trying to come up with the logistics of the 2nd one.

"You had enough arts & crafts fun with your monkey buffet I take it?" Auggie raised his eyebrows at her.

"I did and I think if we can get our strides right we can move the pots, it is all about smooth and steady movement and I don't know anyone smoother than you," she whispered in his ear.

"Are you coming on to me?" he smirked.

"Always. Is it working?"

"Always. Let's get this done," he took her elbow and she followed the map to the pottery kiln.

TBC…

Note: I had hoped to finish this by the premiere (TONIGHT!) but that is not going to happen. I am planning some mid-ep/post-ep pieces for the rest of the week, but will use this to fill in as we wait for episode 2. Enjoy Season 4 guys!


	18. Chapter 18

Amazing Part 18

Annie strategized the whole way to the pottery kiln. Should they make multiple trips with a few pots at a time or try to move large numbers first. They arrived and the staff were surprised by their decision of tasks, but gave them the scoop.

"Stay here," she placed her hand on Auggie's chest and walked out to get a feel for the course.

"Cobblestones," she reported back.

"Tricky," he replied with a grimace.

"Can we do a test run?" Annie asked.

"Sure, you can take as long as you need," the staff member shrugged.

Annie stationed Auggie at one end of the plank and moved around to the front.

"OK, we do a five count to get the plank to our shoulders and a five count to stand," Annie instructed and Auggie nodded, crouching down and finding the end of the plank.

She began counting and they both began raising the plank. Annie had her back to Auggie but she felt steady movement and pressure on the plank.

"Ok, now stand on 1,2,3,4,5" they were both upright with the plank on their shoulders.

"We're going to lead with our left foot and go," they walked in unison out of the building and over a few yards of cobblestone, Auggie getting the feel of the road under his feet.

Auggie was grateful for the military training that allowed him to focus and move in unison, although truth be told he had been moving in unison with Annie from day 1.

"On 5 we stop," Annie instructed and counted them to a stop.

"Nice," Auggie commented on their progress.

"We got this," Annie smiled.

It was of course, infinitely harder with the pots balanced on the plank, but ultimately they completed the challenge in decent time and received their clue. Annie flagged a cab and in minutes they were on their way to that night's stop.

"Wonder what kind of greeting we are going to get," Annie mentioned casually.

"Your competitive streak is ebbing, I must be a good influence," he ran his thumb over the back of her hand.

"A calming one, definitely," she agreed, "but I mean from Gwen."

"Yeah, I know. "

They were the third team to arrive despite their break in the Buddha garden. Gwen greeted them with a smile and a tour of their accommodations at the marble Temple as if nothing had happened in Australia. Annie wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one for the CIA.

***555***

The next day they were out of Thailand and enroute to Japan.

"Out of luck on the language front," Annie sighed as she snuggled into Auggie on the plane.

"Yeah, Japanese is one of the few languages you can't even fake," he laughed as he sipped his ginger ale.

"Did you email our friend Eric?" Annie mentioned casually.

"Yeah, the internet in the Bangkok airport was sketchy, but I got a message out," Auggie confirmed that he had completed his task while Annie was getting them on the flight to Tokyo.

They had established a protocol with Barber and Auggie communicated that they had approached Gwen and had no definitive response from her at this time. It would keep Joan at bay while they finished the race.

"Is anyone sitting here?" Kendall appeared in the aisle and indicated the empty aisle seat.

"No, it was mine, but no one sat in the middle so I scooted over," Annie smiled and sat up a little, still keeping her body tucked against Auggie.

"Danielle is driving me nuts," Kendall sighed and asked for a beer when the stewardess passed by.

"Close quarters for almost 3 weeks can do that," Annie grinned.

"You two seem fine," Kendall laughed.

"Oh he's totally annoying," Annie teased.

"Hey," Auggie feigned affront.

"I think this trip is easier for couples, if you get mad at each other you can just kiss and make up. Danielle and I would actually have to talk and I am way too tired for that," Kendall drank a long sip of the beer.

"So what seems to be the problem?" Annie asked as she reached for Auggie's ginger ale.

"She thinks she is so perfect, and she is in a lot of ways, but she doesn't have to make me feel so inferior all the time," Kendall mumbled.

Annie snorted, "My sister's name is Danielle, maybe it is the name, cause that sounds just like her."

"No harshing on your sister," Auggie reprimanded.

"I love my sister, but she can drive me absolutely crazy Kendall, I get it," Annie smiled.

"We just need some space," Kendall took a deep breath.

"Well, you are welcome to the seat, we have a long flight," Annie patted the younger girl's shoulder.

***555***

Their first stop in Tokyo was the Japanese equivalent of Times Square, the clue was a visual one and it was flashing on one of dozens of giant LED screens. Annie finally caught it and realized it was a statue of a dog "Hachiko" and at the statue she was handed an actual clue envelope.

Their choice of tasks was clear cut, as one of them involved riding bikes – and not tandem this time, so they headed to a Japanese tea garden where they had to lift and carry a cart carrying a young woman in it 1/3 of a mile. After the plank and pot challenge this one was easy, while the cart was much heavier it was more stable and Annie sang a little sea chanty to keep the pace.

They dropped off their young lady and got a clue directing them back to the city to a Japanese Capsule hotel.

"I've heard of these hotels, we will literally have like a coffin-sized hole in the wall," Auggie explained.

"I saw a special on the travel channel about them, they are kind of nuts, but very efficient," Annie agreed.

Gwen was waiting in the lobby of the hotel when they arrived.

"You two have done a really good job working together the past couple days, the crew is kind of amazed at what you have accomplished," she complimented them.

"You mean what I have accomplished," Auggie clarified without sounding too snarky.

"You are a very resourceful team, you communicate amazingly well and you should be proud of one another," she smiled and led them to their capsules.

"Do we have to sleep apart?" Annie asked as they were shown 2 capsules, one above the other, at the end of a hall clearly reserved for them.

"We won't be doing bed checks," Gwen laughed and seemed very much like herself.

There was some food out and a small bar in the tidy common area near the capsules. Annie poured them each some water and grabbed some seaweed salad and a couple forks.

"That could have been worse," she whispered.

"Yeah. either she is OK or she is a good actress, either way would work for us," Auggie smiled and leaned in to kiss Annie.

When they finished eating Annie got some relatively clean sleep clothes out of their packs along with their toiletries and stashed the packs in one of the lockers. She walked Auggie to the men's room and went in to the ladies room to wash up and change. Without discussion she crawled into the lower capsule with him and settled her smaller frame on top of his.

It was a small space but not as claustrophobic as she imagined from the outside. She leaned up and kissed Auggie, proud of Gwen's acknowledgement of their team work. Auggie responded readily to the kiss, his hands warm and strong against her sides, her hands were moving, one in his hair, the other on his hip.

"Mmmmm, Annie, you need to stop that or more people than Danielle and Kendall will be overhearing us," he chuckled.

"Stop kissing you?" she was a little dazed.

"No, this," he found her hand on his hip and stilled it with his own.

Sure enough just as they fell quiet the hallway filled with voices, at least 3 teams had returned.

"I will bet you my lunch money Annie and Auggie are not sleeping in separate capsules," Kendall laughed and stood right outside the thin curtain.

TBC…


	19. Chapter 19

Amazing Part 19

Annie laughed when she heard Kendall and reached over to pull their curtain back.

"Guilty as charged," she smiled.

"Are you really going to sleep? Come out and party with us," Danielle encouraged, clearly the girls had made up along the way today.

"We're pretty comfy," Annie tried for an excuse.

"Actually we are stuck in here, you guys are going to have to pull us out by our feet tomorrow," Auggie joked.

Brett considered his size relative to Auggie's lean frame and got a little nervous about actually being stuck in there.

"Come out and have a drink, we only have a few more nights," Kendall tugged playfully on Annie's foot.

Annie crawled out first, her body sliding along Auggie's as she shimmied out. Auggie tried not to react to her and then rolled over onto his stomach and started shimmying out himself. Annie guided his head out so he didn't whack it on the short opening.

"OK, we had just gotten comfortable in there, this better be worth it," Auggie teased.

"We have a fully stocked bar, it'll be fun," Danielle assured.

As the other teams arrived more drinks were poured and soon everyone was laughing.

"Ed dropped the poor girl," Molly had tears streaming down as she laughed about how Ed dropped the cart in the last challenge.

"I am pretty sure I said something horribly offensive when I tried out my Japanese," Brian confessed.

"Is there more vodka?" Cathy asked and so went the evening.

***555***

"Rise and shine Party Animals," Gwen hollered down the hallway at 7:00 am.

"Kill me now," Auggie groaned as he tried to produce any kind of moisture in his dry mouth.

"It's going to be a long day," Annie sighed as she held her hands against her pounding head.

The showers proved to be as tiny as the capsules and the teams were all sluggish out of the gate. Annie read the clue three times and it took her much longer than normal to sort out the map and directions, but eventually they were on the road towards Mt. Fuji.

The signs as they approached their destination were all in Japanese, but the pictures gave Annie a bad feeling.

"I think we're heading to an amusement park," she told Auggie who was awake despite his closed eyes and even breathing.

"That won't be good," he shook his head and then thought better of it.

"You're telling me," Annie groaned.

Sure enough she was right and Fujikya Highland was in fact an amusement park and their challenge involved riding 3 thrill rides looking for a hidden message on the ground from the heights of the rides.

"I am truly sorry you have to do this one," Auggie held her shoulders as much to steady himself as her.

"It's OK, if I puke I puke, I'm certainly not the first person to do so. Maybe I will be lucky and find the clue on the first one," she assured him.

The first ride was called the Pizza and it was a big flat disc that you strapped yourself to and it inverted and spun you upside down over the ground. Annie desperately wanted to close her eyes to try and get some equilibrium, but if she missed the clue she'd have to repeat the rides. No clue on the ground that Annie could see and her stomach managed to stay put through the whole thing.

"You OK?" Auggie asked as she leaned against him.

"Yeah, just need to get my feet under me again, hold me up for a minute," she smiled and watched as Molly stumbled off the ride and right into the ladies room.

The next 2 rides were both roller coasters, Annie chose the Dragon Coaster next as it did not appear to go upside down and she need a break from the vertigo. No clue on that one either.

"Only one left," Auggie encouraged as Annie bent over and tried to breathe through the hangover-and-thrill-ride induced nausea.

"OK, let's get his over with," she squeezed his hand and he took her elbow as she led him to a bench near the last ride, the Fujiyama Coaster.

When she got in line Auggie found Brett and asked him to point him towards a concession stand that sold water and something plain and easy to eat, luckily he found the equivalent of a soft pretzel and bottled water nearby and returned to his bench to wait for her.

Annie boarded the coaster with Molly who looked better since her trip to the ladies room.

"Normally, I love these rides," Molly grinned.

"Me too, but I am really regretting the last few gallons of vodka I drank last night," Annie smiled back.

The ride took off and the coaster whipped them up and down and over and finally Annie saw it, a man holding a sign that said Lake Yamanaka, she poked Molly to make sure she saw it too and then closed her eyes for the rest of the ride.

As the ride slowed to a halt Annie breathed deeply through her nose and tried to quell the shaking in all 4 of her limbs.

"You OK?" Molly asked quietly.

"I think so," Annie replied and gingerly exited the coaster car, but as she started to walk away her stomach seemed to stay behind and she found herself running for a nearby trash can.

"It's OK," Molly soothed as she rubbed Annie's back.

"Sorry about that," Annie grinned sheepishly as she stood up again and made sure she was really done.

"Let's get you some water," Molly suggested and wrapped a supportive arm around Annie.

"Thanks, we just need to grab Auggie," Annie pointed to the back of his head nearby.

As they came around in front of him Molly smiled, "Looks like he is one step ahead of us," she laughed.

"He usually is, thank you Molly," Annie said sincerely.

"You alright?" Auggie asked concerned.

"I will be when you hand over that water," she smiled and took the bottle from him.

She took a big sip and spit it out discretely behind the bench.

"You got sick?" he was concerned.

"Yeah, but I actually feel a lot better now," she smiled and sat next to him.

His arm went around her and she snuggled into his shoulder.

"Is that half a pretzel thing for me?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah, it actually made me feel a lot better, some carbs to soak up the acid," he handed her the rest.

"You are awesome," she kissed his cheek.

"Did you get the clue?" he shrugged off the compliment.

"I did, we are heading to Lake Yamanaka. I really hope we don't have to swim, or cliff dive or bungee jump as I am already kind of done for the day," Annie laughed and finished the pretzel and water.

TBC…


	20. Chapter 20

Amazing Part 20

Annie laughed out loud when they arrived at Lake Yamanaka. There, lined up in a neat little row, were bright yellow duck-shaped paddle boats. The clue indicated they were to take a paddle boat out to the large Swan shaped boat in the middle of the lake.

"How are your legs feeling?" she asked.

"Fine…." He answered with caution.

"We are paddle boating," she clarified.

"Oh, that's not so bad," he smiled.

"Not at all, it is a beautiful day for a ride," she took his arm and led him to the first boat, getting him situated as Danielle and Kendall approached.

"Aren't these too cute!" Kendall squealed, the younger women appearing to have weathered the effects of the hangover better than most.

"Race ya?" Danielle asked as Annie settled into her seat.

"I think we are going to take the scenic route," Annie smiled.

"We'll try not to blow you out of the water with our wake," Kendall laughed.

Annie took Auggie's hand, instructed him to get his feet in the right spot and counted them off on a slow pace. She took in the sights and enjoyed the fresh air, her head finally pain-free from the hangover.

"I really don't want this to end," Annie sighed.

"The real world isn't going to be as easy you know," he laced his fingers through hers.

"I know," she nodded and tried to keep her thoughts light.

"We'll find a way to have both you know?" he read her thoughts.

"I know," she repeated, more confident.

They made it to the big swan and Auggie avoided a swim in Lake Yamanaka when Annie helped him climb aboard.

"Heard you had a rough ride today," Gwen smirked a little at Annie.

"Did you stock that bar knowing what today's challenge was, felt a little like a set up?" Annie arched an eyebrow.

"You guys shouldn't get to have all the fun," Gwen shrugged and showed them to their bunks in the boat's lower level.

"Dinner is in 2 hours, get some rest," Gwen squeezed Auggie's shoulder on the way out.

The group that night was much more subdued, properly chastised for their drinking by the rigors of the day the group ate a quiet meal together and retreated to their bunks early.

Auggie slept fitfully on the boat, the small bunk he shared with Annie too restrictive for the flailing he might have done at home, his body coiled up and anxious when he woke.

"You OK?" Annie mumbled, her eyes still closed and her hands stroking his tense back.

"I had a strange dream," he confessed.

"Yeah?" she asked quietly.

"I dreamt I could see you," she heard pain and sorrow in his voice and woke shocked to see tears in his eyes.

"Oh Auggie," she cooed and moved her hands from his back to his face, wiped the tears away and kissed his cheek.

"You do see me, more than anyone ever has," she tried to reassure him.

***555***

"Where to?" Auggie asked as Annie opened the clue.

"Anchorage," she smiled.

"Alaska? Huh," Auggie shrugged and shouldered his pack.

They didn't have to paddle back to shore, a tender boat brought them as a group and soon they were at another airport, waiting for another crazy long trip.

"We're close to done," Auggie mentioned off-handedly, both of them knowing that their mission was still not complete.

"I feel good," Annie kept it subtle.

"Yes, you do," Auggie teased as he squeezed her a little tighter.

"I hope we're alone again soon," she whispered in his ear.

He just closed his eyes and nodded, his nose lost in her hair.

"Where did you find him, I want one?" Kendall asked as she sat across from them in the airport seating area.

"At work," Annie giggled.

"Oh yeah, a job, gotta get me one of those," Kendall smiled.

"What did you study in school?" Annie asked.

"Government," Kendall replied.

"Come to DC, there are tons of jobs, none of them pay anything, but hey…the Smithsonian's free," Auggie smiled.

"Will you give me a tour?" Kendall laughed.

"Auggie is an awesome tour guide, he once gave my niece's 3rd grade class a tour of the Museum of Natural History," Annie kissed him on the cheek.

"You never did properly thank me for that," he remembered.

"I bought you beer, that was as good as you were getting back then," she snarked.

"I bet my reward for such an action would be much better now," he stage whispered and Annie blushed.

"OK, if my sister moves back and the girls are in need of a field trip guide and you are available I promise I will reward you properly," she shook his hand to make it official.

***555***

Although it was spring time, Anchorage was still cold and the cars they found included directions to Mirror Lake where the ice and snow were still prevalent.

Their choice of challenges included drilling ice fishing holes or transporting medical supplies to a first aid station 75 miles away by small aircraft. The day was foggy and Annie was certaint he craft would get grounded so she and Auggie decided to try their hand at ice fishing.

Manual augers were hard to use, but Annie got Auggie in the right spot and his upper body strength made short work of the thick ice.

"We need three holes and then we have to push that little shack thing across the ice to cover it," Annie yelled over the strong wind.

Auggie was both sweating and freezing when he was done, his body unsure what temperature it wanted to be. They took their time crossing the ice to get the shack and once they found it realized it was much sturdier and therefor heavier than they anticipated.

"This is fun," he said with thinly veiled derision after 15 minutes of maneuvering.

"Buck up Soldier," Annie tried to tease him and he just turned and glared at her.

"It's almost over?" she tried again with her most adorable voice and the glare softened to a wane grin.

A few more feet and they got the hut in place, given the thumbs up by the local ice fishing aficionado they were handed a clue.

"Oh thank god," Annie sighed.

"What?"

"Pit stop, at a hotel," she reported.

"Perfect, I get you alone for the first time in over a week and I might not be able to stay awake long enough to even make out with you," he grinned as he shook out his sore arms.

They made it to the car and followed the directions to the Hotel Alyeska, a chateau-style hotel nestled in the glacial mountains.

"Wow, it is pretty," Annie announced.

"And likely has real beds to make up for the boat bunk, airplane seat and capsule coffin we've had the past few nights," Auggie grinned.

"Welcome to Alaska," A local woman in traditional dress greeted them as Gwen handed over a key pack.

"As you can see we have lovely accommodations this evening. Dinner is at 7:30 downstairs, enjoy," she smiled and Annie felt like she was looking at her funny.

Annie guided Auggie into the ornate lobby and to the elevator bank, she opened the key packet to find out which floor to press as Auggie wrapped an arm around her and began kissing the back of her neck.

"That feels so good, but I must smell awful," Annie giggled as she fumbled with the packet and finally figured out they were on the 6th floor.

"You smell like you, only more, and it is driving me crazy," he illustrated by pulling her back against his body and slipping a hand under her several layers of clothing.

"We're almost to the room," Annie assured him, but turned in his arms any way and captured his lips until the chime of the elevator alerted her to their arrival on 6.

Auggie protested as Annie extracted herself and led him to the room, she took out one of the key cards and a slip of paper fluttered to the floor, she snatched it and opened the door at the same time. She barely had a chance to stash the packs beside the door when Auggie had her pressed up against it and began working on her clothes.

Annie flipped open the piece of paper from the key pack.

"9:00 pm boat dock. G"

"Auggie, Auggie, Augggggiiie," she groaned as his lips found her now bare hips.

"Yeah," he replied distractedly.

"Gwen requested a meet, quite skillfully I might add," Annie smiled.

Auggie looked up from his spot on his knees in front of her.

"That's great, but please tell me it is not now," the desire in his eyes made him look almost drunk.

"It's after dinner," she reached down and stroked his hair.

"Outstanding, you can show me around the room later, where's the bed?" he stood and grabbed both her hands.

TBC…


	21. Chapter 21

Amazing Part 21

"That was…enthusiastic," Annie laughed as she rolled away from Auggie to catch her breath.

"Apparently lack of sex overruled exhaustion," Auggie agreed.

"Dinner is in half an hour, we really need to shower now," Annie informed and reluctantly got out of the bed.

"I'm kind of trapped here until you tell me where everything is or find my cane," Auggie settled into the pillows as if to nap.

"Not so fast buster, you can feel your way across the room, there are no land mines or holes in the floor….or I could shower alone," Annie called back over her shoulder as she started the water.

"You are cruel woman," he laughed as he made his way across the room towards the sound of the water and his laughing girlfriend.

Once the business of actually getting clean and washing their hair was done Auggie slipped his arms around Annie and just enjoyed the hot water.

"How do you want to handle the meet?" Auggie asked quietly.

"Do you mind if I go alone?" Annie turned to gauge his reaction.

"No," he shook his head and didn't seem hurt.

"If she's in she's in, if she has doubts , well, she might not want to voice them in front of a man. Especially a man who has been as brave as you, she might feel better discussing her concerns with me, does that make sense?"

"Of course it does, if I can be of help just have someone ring me up in the room, I'll wait it out here," he agreed with a smile and a kiss.

"Thanks," Annie appreciated his support.

"No thanks necessary, bring this home Walker, I know you can," he kissed her again.

***555***

"I want to live here," Gary announced as he joined Auggie at dinner.

"In Alaska?" Auggie asked confused.

"In this hotel," Gary clarified.

"It's nice?" Auggie asked as he pretended to look around.

"It is beautiful," Brian chimed in.

"The bed is comfy," Auggie admitted.

"You've already…."Gary started to ask as Annie approached the table with a huge plate of food.

"I cannot believe how hungry I am," she smiled at the guys across the table.

Brian and Gary just laughed as Auggie ate his food innocently.

"Did I miss something?" Annie quirked an eyebrow.

"Gary wants to live here," Auggie filled her in.

"Alaska?"

"No, the hotel," Auggie repeated the conversation.

"The bed is really comfortable," Annie confessed.

All three men laughed and Annie looked more confused. Auggie just smiled and leaned over in his universal signal for 'kiss me.' So she did.

Around 8:30 Auggie suggested they get some sleep, not really needing to fake being tired. They said their good-byes and headed up to the room.

"I feel like I am going on a first date," Annie shook her hands to release the nervous energy coursing through her.

"You've turned tougher assets," Auggie whispered in her ear.

"I know, but I like her," Annie turned around to face him, her hands slipping up over his shoulders.

"I like you. A lot," he kissed her forehead.

"I like you too, so much," she held him tightly.

"It's too late to call Barber, so we'll wait and call him in the morning, hopefully we'll have good news," Auggie tried to absorb her anxiety.

"OK, I am heading out," she released his warm body and was instantly chilled.

"I'm a phone call away," he indicated where he thought the phone might be.

"Thanks," she kissed him good-bye.

***555***

The air was cold but clean as Annie trekked down the softly lit path to the lake where Gwen had asked to meet. Luckily Annie had not run into any other race members, everyone truly exhausted after a long few days traveling the globe.

Annie could see Gwen standing at the end of a short boat dock, no boats in sight. She made sure to bring her footfall down sharply on the wood so as not to sneak up on the woman, last thing Annie wanted to do was spook her.

Gwen turned with a smile on her face, "You came."

"Of course I came, good news or bad, I am here for you Gwen," Annie reached out a gloved hand and placed it on the woman's shoulder.

"I brought down some tea," Gwen indicated the small boathouse where a lantern gave off a yellow glow.

"Sounds good."

"Where's Auggie?" Gwen realized Annie was alone.

"A phone call away, but I thought you might like to talk one on one, we didn't want to gang up on you," Annie answered truthfully.

"Thanks," Gwen's face brightened.

"We're not all cloak and dagger, you know, the Auggie and Annie you know are the real us," Annie assured.

"You're both really nice and smart and funny and clearly love each other, you seem so normal," Gwen laughed.

"Regular old normal folk, that's us," Annie grinned.

"Would I work with you?"

"Yes, you would be my asset and Auggie is my handler so it would be me or him that would be reaching to you for help."

"If I want to take the next step, what is that?" Gwen looked Annie right in the eye.

"You would need to come to DC and meet with my boss, she would explain all the protocols, the compensation, etcetera," Annie waved her hands in the universal symbol for red tape.

"If you were me, would you do this?"

"Yes, and I was you at one point. I had a chance to travel after college and went all over the world meeting amazing people seeing incredible things. If I had been approached for this I would have jumped at it, as it was I had to go home to DC and apply like a regular person," Annie laughed.

"Are you ever scared?" Gwen asked as she blew a stream of air across the steaming tea.

"Sure, but I am well-trained and I have a great handler," Annie blushed when she spoke of Auggie.

"Does he know everything you do? Are there secrets between you?"

"We work in a world of secrets, we try to keep the secrets to a minimum though. If keeping the secret can keep someone else or each other safe we will keep it, otherwise no. Do you have a boyfriend Gwen?"

"In LA, we met on a Race, he was the brother half of a brother/sister team. It is hard because we are apart so much, but I have doubts about changing my whole world without talking to him. Will you investigate him?" Gwen got nervous.

"Standard background check, he isn't a Russian anarchist is he?"

"He's an 8th grade social studies teacher," Gwen laughed.

"Then you should be fine. If you decide to tell him it is a big step, reading in my sister was the hardest thing I ever had to do. You may want to talk to Auggie about that too, he had a bad experience reading in a fiancé," Annie's mouth stuck on that word.

"Auggie was engaged?"

"Briefly, she wasn't the right girl," Annie blew that off.

"So I want to take the next step," Gwen agreed.

"Great, when can you come to DC? Or we can try to set it up remotely, but I think my boss would like to meet you in person."

"Oddly enough I have a break right after this race. My 2nd in command is taking the next group, so I have 4 weeks off. I have to do some paperwork in the London office at some point, and I want to see Gary, but otherwise I am free," Gwen grinned.

"Come back with us, after the race. We'll put you up and take care of you for a change and then we'll fly you wherever you need to go, London or LA."

"You don't want me to change my mind," Gwen nodded.

"See your instincts are already very good. I am booking you a flight home with Auggie and I from Denver at the end of the week."

"OK."

"OK," Annie smiled.

The women cleaned up their tea and walked back to the hotel together, chatting about the race and their boyfriends. Once in the lobby a hotel caterer stopped Gwen.

"Ms. Masterson, there was some dessert left from your dinner, I was going to send it up to your staff," she held three bakery boxes out.

"I'll take those, thank you," Gwen smiled and accepted the boxes, the top one was small, only big enough for a couple of pieces of cake or pastry.

"Take the top one up to Auggie, to celebrate," Gwen nodded towards the box.

"Thanks Gwen, good night," Annie took the box and swung into the hotel bar.

Annie had squirrelled away some money over the race and exchanged it all for US at the airport today, they had over $100 and she knew they would be done soon, so she decided to splurge.

"Can I see a wine list please?" Annie asked the bartender.

He produced it and she flipped to the sparkling wines.

"I'd like this bottle of Prosecco please and two glasses," Annie pointed at the bubbly Italian wine on the list.

"Right away," the bartender smiled and went off to claim the wine.

Annie paid for the wine and headed up to her room with the wine, glasses and bakery box in hand.

Annie entered the dark room, she could make out Auggie's shape lying in bed.

"Just a phone call away, huh?" she teased as she made her way over to him, deposited her bounty on the bed and stripped off her jacket and gloves.

"I am awake and dressed, well partially dressed," he grinned as she turned on the light.

"What's all this?" he felt his way over to the cold wine and the cardboard box.

"We're going to have a party."

"Are we celebrating or drowning our sorrows?" he cocked his head in anticipation.

"Celebrating of course," she answered haughtily.

TBC…


	22. Chapter 22

Amazing Part 22

"Celebrating, Miss Walker? Nice," Auggie grinned as he sat up against the headboard of the bed.

"Mission accomplished, we will need a 3rd seat on our flight home," Annie smiled broadly as she stripped out of her clothes.

"Let's see what we have here…"Annie opened the bakery box, "Oooooh, cupcake?" she offered.

"Yes, Pumpkin," he replied with a smirk.

"Ha, ha," she mocked as she took the treat and walked around to Auggie's side of the bed.

Annie perched daintily on the edge of the bed in nothing but her undergarments as she ran her finger through the cupcake's icing.

"Chocolate?" Auggie asked as his senses registered the dessert.

"Mmmmhmmm," Annie answered, her icing-covered finger in her mouth.

"Were you planning to share?" Auggie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Right up until I tasted how delicious it is, now I might need to save them all for myself."

"All, how many are there?"

"Three," she surveyed the box.

"You can't possibly eat three cupcakes," he reasoned.

"You don't know a whole lot about women do you?" she chuckled.

"I know plenty about women," he growled and caught her hand to pull her close enough to kiss.

"Good job, Operative Walker," he mentioned between the toe-curling kisses he was delivering.

***555***

As Annie collapsed on top of Auggie, sweaty body to sweaty body, she laughed.

"Oh my god, I was so loud," she admitted.

"Were you?"

"You didn't notice?" she looked up at him with curiosity.

"I had to tune you out or it was all going to be over much faster than I would have been happy with," he admitted.

"Really?" she asked, intrigued.

"Really," he didn't go any further, but Annie tucked that bit of info away for further discussion.

"Wine?" she asked as she climbed off of him and found the discarded bottle on the other side of the bed.

***555***

"Litho, printing and type-setting?" Barber answered.

"I'd like to speak with my service rep please," Annie said with a smile.

"One moment please," Barber responded.

Annie squeezed Auggie's hand, they hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, but both were energized and excited.

"OK, we're good guys," Barber returned to the line after the back check.

"Could you please book a 3rd seat on our flight back to DC?" Annie said her voice thrumming with excitement.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Joan's voice surprised them.

"Yes, it does," Annie replied.

"Nice work you two," Joan commended.

"It was all Annie," Auggie demurred.

"That's not true, it was a full team effort," Annie corrected.

"You can debate merit when you are back home, for now make it through the next few days and deliver the package please," Joan hung up before they could respond.

"If her current career fails she should totally go into motivational speaking," Annie joked.

***555***

Annie and Auggie made it down to check out right behind Cathy and Brett who did not look like they had as fun a night as Annie and Auggie. Cathy was slumped in a chair alone as Brett reviewed the clue on the other side of the room.

"You OK?" Annie asked Cathy quietly.

"Ever question every decision you've made in your adult life?" Cathy asked, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Yes," Annie answered honestly.

Cathy looked shocked and flicked those tired eyes towards Auggie leaning against a wall on the other side of the room.

"My questions were long before Auggie," Annie assured her, "but I know what it feels like to be in doubt about pretty much everything."

"You seem so put together," Cathy shrugged.

"Thanks, I rarely feel that way, but I'm a lot more sure now," her own eyes traveling over to Auggie.

"You're lucky," Cathy smiled sadly and Annie nodded in agreement.

***555***

"Did you really have snow shoe training?" Danielle asked Auggie as she reviewed the clue.

"Yep, why?" Auggie wrinkled his brow.

"Hope you remember it," Kendall hinted.

"Ugghh, they are clearly trying to kill the blind guy," he frowned.

"If I can get you home drunk in an ice storm while wearing new wingtips, I can get you through a minor snowshoeing expedition," Annie interrupted.

"There is a story there," Danielle laughed.

"I told him the rain was going to turn to ice, but no he had to wear the new shoes," Annie teased.

"That was before," Auggie said wistfully.

"Yep, all of that and I slept on the couch," Annie shook her head remembering the early days of their friendship.

"Well, good luck with the snowshoes," Kendall clapped Auggie on the shoulder and went to load her gear in their car.

***555***

The drive to Kincaid Park wasn't bad and sure enough there were trekking poles and snowshoes waiting as well as a compass and a map.

"The sun feels warm," Auggie mentioned.

"Yes, in fact we should sunscreen our faces, and you won't freeze to death. For someone from the Midwest you are soft in the cold Anderson," Annie laughed.

"Will you warm me up if I get cold?" he smirked.

"Usually you need cooling off buddy," she mentioned as she deposited a handful of snow in the back of his shirt.

"You think I can't retaliate, but watch your back Walker, I am coming for you," he pointed a finger just to the left of where she was standing with a huge grin on her face.

"Bring it Captain, I can take it," she encouraged.

TBC…


	23. Chapter 23

Amazing Part 23

"You're sure we are going the right way?" Auggie asked for the 5th time.

"I am positive my dear. Would I lead you astray?" Annie asked as her gloved hand patted his in its spot at her elbow.

"Not on purpose, but we are in the middle of nowhere," he pointed out.

"We're in a national park," she laughed.

"Then why do I hear or smell absolutely nothing?" he countered.

"It is a big national park with not a lot of stuff in it," she agreed.

"But we aren't lost?"

"Not according to the map, the compass and the highly trained federal operative leading you around," she whispered the last part despite no one even remotely in ear shot.

"OK," he shrugged and tried not to trip over the clunky snowshoes.

"So, about last night?" Annie began since it appeared they had some time to kill.

"What about it?" Auggie asked hesitantly.

"You mentioned you had to 'tune me out', what was up with that?"

"Heh," Auggie laughed as he shook his head, "you were very vocal last night."

"I know, I was worried I was too loud."

"Volume wasn't the problem for me, you were very ummmm, descriptive, might be a good word," he tried to explain.

"How so?" she was genuinely curious.

"You talk a lot in bed Annie and I appreciate that, helps me gauge your moods, your wants, when I can't pick up the visual clues. Last night you were very specific in a way that was quickly overloading my poor male brain," he chuckled again.

"Really? What did I….oh wait, I remember now. Oh god," she groaned a little.

"You said that too, a lot" Auggie snarked.

"I'm so embarrassed," she cringed.

"No no no no, nothing to be embarrassed about Miss Walker, trust me it was beyond hot," he squeezed her elbow a little tighter and she looked back at him to see he was smiling his happiest smile.

"OK, but in the future you can tell me to dial it back a notch," she offered.

"Sure, tell the hot blonde to stop talking about how good that feels, likely not going to happen," he replied.

"This is surreal," Annie squeaked.

"Talking about our sex life?"

"Talking about our sex life in the middle of freakin' nowhere Alaska."

"That's the way we roll baby," Auggie let go of her elbow and reached out and wrapped his arms around her.

***555***

"Is it bigger than a bread box?" Annie asked with a gleam in her eye.

"Oh god, not the bread box again," Auggie laughed.

***555***

After what felt like hours of aimless wandering Annie could see a clue box and a very bored looking staffer up ahead.

"We are not lost," she exclaimed.

"A ha! You admit you had doubts too," Auggie laughed.

"Maybe, a few," she admitted.

"Greetings!" the bored staffer seemed to perk up at their arrival and that was when Annie saw them, what looked to be tents in bags behind him.

"Hello," Annie called back.

"We are so very glad to find signs of life on this planet," Auggie grinned.

"Kind of desolate, huh?" the guy agreed.

"I thought it was beautiful," Annie argued.

"Her idea of beautiful is a little skewed," Auggie reasoned.

"I think you're beautiful," she kissed his cold wind-chapped cheek.

"Sure, prove my point," he teased.

"Well you are the first team to arrive," the staffer stated.

"We didn't see anyone else, is everyone OK?" Annie was concerned.

"Everyone got a different map and different compass points, we wanted to see what would happen if everyone thought they were lost," the staffer admitted.

"Huh," Annie was impressed with the concept.

"You guys seemed to have been ok with the solitude."

"We played 20 Questions," Auggie replied with over-exaggerated enthusiasm.

"Whatever gets you through I guess," the guy smirked and handed them a clue.

Annie opened the envelope as the guy explained that dinner wasn't for several hours, but there were snacks and coffee and water in the trailer where they could warm up before pitching their tent.

"I'd be willing to walk back through the snow to sleep in the hotel again tonight," Auggie proposed.

Annie just smacked him and led him towards coffee.

After they hydrated, rested and fortified with coffee Annie decided to tackle the tent assembly before exhaustion overtook her, she and Auggie hadn't done that much sleeping in the hotel the night before.

She zipped their sleeping bags together and laid it out on the floor of the newly erected tent with a flourish.

"This won't be bad," she tried to sound enthusiastic.

"Are you kidding, I get to curl up in a sleeping bag with you all night, what could be bad about that," Auggie had come around on the idea of tenting.

"I love you," she said it so freely, like they said it every day.

She saw the eyebrow arch of recognition at the uniqueness of the phrase. They had used it a lot more on this mission than back home and maybe it was time to stop fighting it, they clearly loved each other.

"And I you, Miss Walker," he replied and leaned down hoping she was right there to kiss.

She didn't disappoint him, intercepting his lips perfectly.

"Get a room! Or a tent!" Danielle called as she dragged her and Kendall's tent across the snow.

TBC…


	24. Chapter 24

Amazing Part 24

NOTE: Sorry for the delay on this, Escape Clause took my mind away for a while…..

Their second night in Alaska included an amazing dinner under a tent on the snowfield. The group had really come together after nearly 4 weeks of varying conditions and personalities and Annie was going to be a little sad to say good-bye to them all.

Exhaustion won out eventually and the group dwindled. Annie and Auggie said their good-nights, unsure if there would be another evening like this before the end of the race.

They crawled into the tent and debated wardrobe for sleeping.

"We are taught that the best way to stay warm is to crawl naked into a sleeping bag with someone else who is already naked," Auggie mentioned as he stripped his thermal shirt off over his head.

"I saw that episode of the X Files too, I think he was just trying to get Scully naked," Annie snorted and rummaged for a tee shirt.

Auggie laughed and wriggled out of his pants. Annie watched his muscled body contorting in the tight space of the tent and suddenly the air was gone.

"I want to make sure when we get home that we remember how good this time was," she reached out a cool hand and squeezed his knee.

"We will," he promised.

"I want to always be surprised by this, by how much I want you and care for you and am proud of you, every day," he took the hand from his knee and tugged it closer, kissed the knuckles, encouraged the rest of her body closer.

"I promise," he held her body close.

***555***

Annie emerged from sleep, her back warm where Auggie was pressed closely and her front chilled from the Alaskan morning. She turned, still under his arm, to find him awake.

"Hey," she smiled and he reacted instantly to the change in temperature of her skin.

"You're cold," he frowned.

"Not bad, just warmer where we were touching," she ran a foot up his calf and felt him shudder.

"I have a whole new respect for camping," he rolled on to his back and pulled her on top of him, her hair tickling his face.

"Rise and shine, breakfast in 20," a staffer wandered between the tents.

"Next time we take a vacation that does not involve wake up calls," Auggie grumbled.

***555***

Their last day in Alaska involved several outdoor activities including a long range shooting exercise. Annie tried hard to miss her mark, but she aced the event and propelled her and Auggie well ahead of the others.

"Where'd you learn to shoot like that?" Cathy asked her at lunch.

"My dad was in the Army, we lived in Guam at one point, there wasn't much to do," although the story was technically true it sounded fake even to Annie's ears.

Annie noticed Gwen listening as she picked at her lunch, a small frown on the woman's face. Annie knew lying to everyone you know was no way to live, she had to reassure Gwen that it wasn't always like this.

Finally, after everyone completed the Alaskan obstacle course it was time to head back to the airport, their final flight of the race would take them back to Denver.

***555***

When they landed in Denver the teams found cars with a clue under the windshield wiper.

"We're headed back to Red Rocks," Annie mentioned the place they began the race.

"Is that it, no more challenges?" Auggie raised an eyebrow.

"I guess so," Annie shrugged and backed out of the parking lot.

As soon as they walked through the arch into the amphitheater Annie laughed.

"What?" Auggie halted.

"One more challenge after all and I think I should do it," she smiled and took the clue from the staffer.

"What am I looking at?"

"A sea of flags, 285 according to the clue. I have to find the 9 that represent the countries we visited besides the US and put them in order," she reported.

"Brazil, Russia, Germany, Italy, Greece, Oman, Australia, Thailand and Japan," Auggie recited.

"Thanks freak boy, I was there too. Now can you help me find the flags amongst 285 different ones?" she pinched his arm.

"Nope sorry," he grinned.

"And I can only get one at a time. I see Japan's, I'm grabbing that first," she reported and stripped off her jacket for the exercise she was about to undertake.

The field of flags was huge and Annie forgot how many flags had similar colors and patterns. Other teams arrived and were going through the exercise before she finished, but finally she spotted the Greek flag way at the back of the field, she jogged it back and put it in the 5th spot.

"I think we're done," she asked for a staffer to review.

"That's right," he reviewed his handy cheat sheet and handed Annie an envelope.

"Thank you," she smiled and accepted the envelope and the water Auggie presented her.

"Let's get out of the sun," he suggested and she led him to a large flat rock under the natural arch in the park.

"Congratulations, you have completed World Race! We will be meeting in the amphitheater at 4:00 pm, until then enjoy the park. Gwen" Annie read.

"Wow, we're done," Auggie looked amazed.

"You did such a good job," Annie brushed his hair back from his forehead and kissed the warm skin there.

"You too, it was both harder and easier than I expected," he admitted.

"Yeah?"

"The challenges were significant, but I honestly feel like I can do anything with you Annie. We, um, we make a pretty good team," Auggie seemed shy.

"We always have Auggie, from the very beginning," she reminded him.

"True," he laughed.

"You may think that I assisted you in the scary tasks of world travel and jumping off of things, both formidable for a blind man, but you got me through some scary things too," she said quietly.

"You did better with the spiders than I expected," he agreed.

"Not just the spiders Auggie, loving you, giving my heart to you is both the easiest and hardest thing I have ever done. Love is the one thing I have repeatedly failed at," she twined her fingers with him.

"Then we have to make sure we work at it, all the time, really hard, so we don't fail."

TBC….


	25. Chapter 25

Amazing Part 25/25

Notes: Thanks to everyone who took this ride with me, it went on much longer than I expected fueled by your kind words. Now we face summer hiatus and I am unsure of what I am going to do to fill that void, although I imagine tonight's ep will give me some inspiration

"Congratulations everyone, you all made it to the end, you deserve a round of applause," Gwen greeted everyone at 4:00 pm.

"Some of you had an easier time than others, but I hope all of you had fun and learned something about the world and yourselves," more applause.

"I hope you made friends," Gwen continued and Annie reached over and gave Kendall a high five.

"and I hope you feel closer to your partner," Gwen added and Auggie leaned down and kissed the top of Annie's head.

"While we try not to focus so much on the competitive, this is a race, and you were scored and ranked throughout the 9 countries you visited based on your completion of challenges and your arrival at the Pit Stops. With a score we have never seen before, Annie and Auggie have won this race," Gwen announced.

It wasn't much of a shock to the crowd, but everyone seemed genuinely happy for them.

"World Race owns 6 villas in very secluded remote parts of the world, as well as 6 apartments in some fantastic cities, you will get 2 weeks at the location of your choice, all expenses paid. I have a feeling they are going to pick one of the secluded places," Gwen teased and handed the floor over to Annie and Auggie.

"Thanks Gwen, and thank you all. I will admit that I came here really wanting to win, but my competitive nature waned after I met you all. It was a real adventure, I hope you all had as much fun as we did," Annie smiled.

"Not exactly as much fun…." Danielle teased.

"We really loved getting to know you all, even you Danielle," Auggie snarked. "Annie and I have known each other a while now, and I have always suspected we would know each other forever, these four weeks have made me realize I was right about that," Auggie finished with a smile.

***555***

Good-byes and email addresses and cell phone numbers were exchanged, along with hugs and a few tears. Only Annie and Auggie and Gary and Brian were staying the night in Denver, everyone else was shuttled off to the airport for return trips.

Gwen used a World Race van to take the 4 remaining racers and her crew to a nearby hotel for the evening. Annie and Auggie had planned to stay in case they needed the extra time to convince Gwen, but since that mission was done they were both a little sad not to be flying home tonight.

"I miss our bed," Annie said forlornly.

"It will be there tomorrow. I arranged for the cleaning lady to come today, so everything will be fresh and clean," Auggie mentioned as he stroked her hair back from her forehead.

"Awww, that was thoughtful," she rewarded him with a kiss and he just shrugged.

"Am I to expect this level of thoughtful forever?" she alluded to his comment from earlier and felt him smile against the crown of her head.

***555***

Annie woke in the early morning light of a Denver hotel room. One look at the clock and she knew she had some time before she had to wake Auggie for their flight. So instead of waking him she propped her head on her hand and looked at him, sleeping peacefully and indulged her fantasies about forever.

He had used the word so casually yesterday, but she knew that that word was verboten in their line of work. No one talked about forever when their life was constantly in peril, but Auggie had. Maybe it was an act for the crowd, but it sure felt honest.

She allowed her eyes to skim down his back, noticing only one blemish in his gorgeous skin, a red mark she likely caused with her nails or her teeth last night. She smiled at the memory of a long shared shower followed by hours of kissing and touching and needing and wanting and falling asleep exhausted. She could certainly handle that forever….

"How long have you been awake?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Not long," her voice was soft and scratchy from disuse.

He reached one long arm out to her, pleased to find she hadn't gotten dressed yet and pulled her close as he rolled onto his side to face her. There limbs tangled and their bodies melded into a hug, a horizontal hug, his lips against her ear.

"I really meant forever," he assured her and she nodded.

***555***

Annie and Auggie said good-bye to Brian and Gary at the TSA checkpoint, their gates in opposite directions. They hadn't seen Gwen at the hotel in the morning, but sure enough she was sitting in the gate area reading a magazine.

"You're here," Annie said relieved.

"I didn't want to raise suspicion with Gary and Brain," she shrugged, "I took a cab earlier this morning."

Auggie smiled, "Already thinking on your feet."

Gwen just grinned and closed the magazine.

"We need coffee, can I get you one?" Annie offered as she placed Auggie's hand on the chair across from Gwen's.

"Sure, milk no sugar, please" she replied.

"I'll be back," Annie smiled and turned towards the Starbucks down the hall.

"She seems so normal," Gwen said in awe.

"In a lot of ways she is, that is what makes her so effective, but don't let the normal fool you, that woman is extraordinary," Auggie beamed.

"Can you do this and have a relationship?" Gwen asked quietly.

"Yes, is it easy? No, but are relationships ever easy, really?"

"Does it help that you know what she does?" Gwen asked and the reason for the question was obvious to Auggie.

"Ignorance is bliss is a saying for a reason, but there is closeness to the level of honesty that we have that is unlike other relationships I have had. Annie's world is very different than yours will be and even with my clearance sometimes I am not read in on what she is doing and it is very hard. We have secrets, it is what we do, but at least when she comes home banged up I know why," Auggie grimaced.

"Did you really mean forever?" Gwen asked hopefully.

"Boy, you women really get hung up on that word," Auggie teased. "Yes. At the end of the day it doesn't matter what we do, the secrets are inconsequential because I want Annie more than I want any other thing on the planet."

"Even this coffee?" Annie asked with a smirk.

"How long has she been standing there?" Auggie asked Gwen.

"Long enough," both women answered in unison.

"Can I have my coffee now?" Auggie asked embarrassed.

"I will bring you coffee every day I possibly can for the rest of our lives," she told him as she placed the cup in his hand and a kiss on his lips.

The End


End file.
